Deus Ex Machina
by Ghoullly
Summary: At one point in time, there were six of them. When things happen and only three of them are left, they flee to a church to guarantee their safety and turn to religion. It worked for years. Luckily, at that point, they were already used to dealing with the unexpected. (DeviMega AU!)
1. Triplets

**This story contains mentions of blasphemy.** ** _It does not reflect my personal views on religion and is only there for story purposes!_** **This story also** ** _won't_** **contain any sort of BLMatsu! This is a copy of the original fanfiction that was on Ao3; there are too many warnings to list, so proceed with caution! Lot's of mentions of death in different ways.**

 **That being said, I hope you enjoy!**

 **...**

"Oh! So you're one of the triplets who take care of the church?"

Opening his mouth to correct the kind old woman, the boy doused in pink reconnected his lips and bent them into a smile. He nodded, rotating the orange in his hand by manipulating his fingers in certain directions.

"Yes, ma'am! I'm the youngest one."

"Well, you three do a great job. That church sat empty for years until you got ahold of it; in my youth, I remember that church being such a gorgeous place to spend your Sunday mornings. Such an ancient treasure brought back to life!" With wrinkly hands, she reached out and pinched Todomatsu's cheek, stifling a childish grin out of him. "And by such lively young men-I would imagine your brothers are, if you yourself radiate this much light!"

Todo laughed. He bowed slightly, hanging onto his hat with his free hand as to make sure it didn't fall off. "Thank you very much! You're too sweet."

The old woman nodded, folding her hands. "God bless you, dear," she breathed with a smile before drifting away from him to continue her shopping. Letting his arms fall to his sides, Todo exhaled tiredly. He hadn't expected he or his brothers to become borderline celebrities once reopening a rotting church, the air inside tasting of time. Innumerable people flocked to its doors, many of them older, to be active in their faith. He had been used to attention before (and craved it rather dangerously), but this foreign kind of attention was different. It gave off an aura of genuine appreciativeness and pride rather than the snobbish fawning he received in previous years. He recalled his old boyfriend Atsushi, who did nothing but shower him in gifts and treats and money, which Todomatsu accepted unanimously. In full honesty, he missed those days, but his brothers insisted that he'd have to leave it behind if he wanted to fulfill the job he was set to do. Atsushi claimed that he understood, but Todo felt that he didn't really. In his memory, the boy in pink sulked in the market, peering at the orange in his hand, bummed. The _one_ time he actually had mutual feelings for someone, he had to give them up.

Continuing along, Todomatsu grabbed the couple other things he was asked to purchase and departed, walking along the sidewalk, his skin bathing in the setting sun. The dress he wore softly fluttered behind him, mixtures of cream and rose rippling and absorbing the chill of the wind. Squinting to see forward in the sun, the thought of being referred to as a triplet crossed his mind.

It was a common misconception. People had never seen the other half of the set, and those who were alive to be able to know them had already forgotten of their existence. Then again, Todo himself had very fuzzy memories of his oldest brother. They had found him early one morning lying in the middle of the street with a bullet hole just above his left eyebrow. He had snuck out in the middle of the night when they were ten to search for a woman in urban legend who only had a top half; he was adventurous as all hell. He had been looking around an old building when two men inside had an argument and resorted to gunfight, in which one of the stray bullets struck him in the head and killed him instantly. That had been rather rough to deal with; Karamatsu, the second oldest, had come downstairs when his body was brought to the door to notify their parents of his death and caught a glimpse of the gory wound before their father had realized he was there and tore him away, desperate to save him from permanent scarring. He had gotten to him too late, and Kara refused to open his mouth to speak for two weeks straight. That sort of thing never happened in the time that they grew up, so the community had nothing but sympathies and love to give to their family. Their big brother's death was the biggest tragedy to strike the town in years. His name was Osomatsu.

Todo readjusted the paper bag in his arms. The other five of them had managed to make it to their very late teens before anything happened again. At that point, they had grown into their own unique personalities and picked up hobbies and habits. Todo's directly-older brother was impressively energetic, preferring to burn off his energy through athletics. He was a riot; despite his skinny frame, he could swim five miles upstream in a raging river in an hour. One night when he failed to return home after leaving for a day of exercise, they all grew fearful and sought him. Day after day, searches turned up with no results, leading their family to think he was kidnapped. Shortly after a week without him passed, news stations covered a story on a bloated, blue body beaching in Nagoya and frightening beachgoers-as luck had it, he had been swimming in the ocean and got swept into a riptide, exhausting himself and drowning when he tried to escape. History repeated itself in terms of the pain of experiencing yet another brother's funeral and their mother's unobtainable grief. Shortly after his death, their father had up and left with no words, leaving just a family of five. Miraculously, they made it through despite drowning in loneliness and agony of their brother's lost battle with the sea. His name was Jyushimatsu.

Todomatsu was nearing the church now, the steeple in view over the trees. Only a couple of years after Jyushi's death, their mother had a heart attack in her sleep, leaving behind the four brothers to care for themselves. A frantic search for jobs ensued, but only three of them managed to get hired, and those that did manage to find work received unfair pay. They hardly made it by. One night while eating dinner after a long day of running all over the place in panicked attempts to scrape together cash, their third brother had broke into a dangerously long coughing spell, hardly having enough time to intake air in between coughs. Wiping blood from his lips once the fit was over, he coldly denied help from his brothers, claiming figuring out how the hell they were going to afford how to live was more important than getting medicine. Reluctantly, they left it alone, but only when his breath fell heavy and strained as he laid in his futon, barely having enough strength to lift his head by himself did they realize that it was a grave mistake. This time, the three healthy brothers crowded around him, at a loss of what to do to save him. Tears streaming down their soft cheeks and staining them with salt, they leant over their dying brother and prayed for a miracle, but as their brother's body shook gently as he breathed his last breath, they quickly and depressingly realized that the last bit of hope that remained had vanished. They draped themselves over his body in piercing regret, promising each other that nobody else was going to lose their life. Spreading their brother's ashes over the lake, as were his wishes, they decided to turn to religion to protect them, since it would be nearly impossible to take care of one another (as it had been so roughly proven to them). The ghost of their brother loomed over their brains for months after he had passed. His name was Choromatsu.

Todo's small hands tugged hard on the handles of the oak door, pulling them open just enough for him to slip inside and close it again. The memories of his brothers were always a painful thing to think of and all of those memories came flooding back within a matter of seconds of being referred to as a triplet. Things just got way too bothersome to correct them and introduce them to his brothers' memories.

The stained glass reflected colors of crimson and orchid and malachite onto the polished pews, the broadness of the nave absorbed in dust and dimming sunlight making Todo feel small. He walked down the center aisle, the sound of his heels echoing with each click they made, his eyes scanning the area for the sight of any of his brothers. Off to the side, bathing in the spectrum from the window was a black mass, shoulders relaxed and elbows moving similar to a cam follower. Upon further inspection, a tabby cat could be seen lounging in his lap.

"Ichimatsu," Todo whispered, letting the openness of the nave amplify his voice for him, getting his brother to twist around. Ichi had bags under his eyes from stress and his eyelids hung half open in fatigue.

"Oh. You're back." He blandly stated, the cat in his lap rubbing impatiently on his arm. Mindlessly, he began to stroke its fur again.

Todo's dress caught on the pews as he made his way over to his big brother. "Have you seen Kara? I have the things he needed."

"I think he's in the courtyard," Ichi mumbled, deciding that their conversation was over and turning back to what he was doing. Todo exhaled and nodded even though his brother couldn't see him and stepped over him, making his way to the small hallway at the end of the aisle.

Their church was huge, offering plenty of space for the congregation to visit as well as a secluded space set aside for the three of them to live. Sure, it wasn't arranged in a cross as most churches were, but Kara insisted that was what made it home. As you ventured deeper into the passageway, the nearer you got to their section of the church. Grasping tightly onto the paper bag, the crinkling echoing, Todo shoved his hip up against the door at the end of the hallway, loud creaking sounding in the following room.

Todomatsu closed it behind him with his foot, approaching a set of three or so stairs that elevated him onto a platform, offering as the gateway to the courtyard. Translucent windows offered a bit of light into the "foyer", the textured glass beaming too bright of a white to look at directly. Entering, the running water of the small pool of water that purposely spilt over the fountain in the center of the room provided a comforting sense of peace. Enveloping the room was golden light, delicate primrose and daffodil clusters scattered across the patches of grass that grew in each corner of the room. Three of the walls were painted a gentle cream color that was tinted with yellow; the far wall was brick and hung upon it was a large, brass cross. Knees in the bit of water that gathered onto the floor and soaking the front of his black pants, the eldest of the living brothers bent over in prayer in front of it, hands tightly clasped.

Todo floated over, the sound of his shoes shifting through the water offering a smooth noise. He stood next to his older brother for a second, hoping he was about finished, but when his head failed to lift, the pink boy cleared his throat quietly.

"Nii-san," he whispered, never liking to interrupt prayer, but he had things he needed to work on. Karamatsu flinched at the sudden sound, breaking him out of his haze, and he sat upright, rubbing his eyes. A smile flickered across his face.

"Ah, dearest baby brother!" He cried, gathering his footing to stand up, reaching out and taking Todo's free hand in his, clamping both over it. "It is truly wonderful to see your childish face!"

"We have the same face?" Todomatsu cringed, the corners of his mouth twitching in the painfulness of his brother's horrible habit of shaping his sentences oddly. Kara paid him no mind and took the bag out of his hand, providing the bones in his wrist and hand with a break. Todo let out a sigh of relief and shook his hand around a little.

"Were you able to get everything?" Kara asked, peeking inside the bag.

"Yeah, everything's there."

"Amazing! Hopefully tonight, the three of us can actually attempt to make something other than noodle cups and reheated oden..." His sentence hung off disappointedly, as if he had somehow let their parents down by (technically) being the oldest and failing to keep his little brothers from going hungry. As far as he was concerned, he would starve before they would, but keeping them fed with junk wasn't a very fulfilling feeling.

"I'm gonna go and light all of the candles now, okay?"

"Yes, little Todomatsu! Do whatever you have to do. I'm just going to finish up my prayers." With that, Kara knelt back down towards the cross, continuing what he had been doing before.

A major downside to the church despite its beauty was its lack of electricity for some reason. During the day, there were enough windows to keep the majority of it bright enough to walk through, but when night fell, it was pitch black and impossible to pierce through the abyss. Todomatsu was absolutely _terrified_ of the dark; back at home, he tried not to drink anything for a couple of hours before bed so he didn't have to go in the middle of the night. If he ever needed to, he shook Choromatsu awake and clamped onto his arm the whole way down the hallway and back. He didn't have Choromatsu now, and even if he did, he was sure he wouldn't have wanted to escort the youngest brother around the church in all hours of the night.

As a solution, Ichi politely suggested to "use the damn candles" they used for the choir. What a good idea! Every night now, peeling around the church frantically as the light dimmed, Todo collected the candles from the nave and placed them around anywhere he thought the three of them might need to go. A path of candles lit their way from the bedroom to the courtyard, and the courtyard to the nave, all the way down the aisles to the front door. However, at that point only three candles were left - the row of candles he held during mass - so Todo kept them in their bedroom to carry in case they needed to go somewhere else. This included the bathroom. Todo withheld his rule of not drinking anything before bed.

Bounding around, Todo lit each of the candles he needed to, occasionally dodging a stray cat or two that was searching for the Sister. Finally, he lit each one, the moon engulfing the room in dark blue, the color from the windows faint on the carpet. He followed them all the way back to their bedroom.

While he didn't mind it, he secretly loathed the secluded lifestyle that they had to live. It was true that living like this allowed them to comfortably live - and nobody else died yet, which was good - but it was so dull compared to what they would do before. Flirting with nearly everybody that ordered coffee and going on three dates a week didn't compare to standing off to the side with heavy candles for an hour every Sunday, tuning out the sound of his brother yelling enthusiastically on the pulpit. The others couldn't have liked living like that either. (Then again, maybe Ichimatsu did, because it was quiet and he welcomed all of the stray cats to roam free whenever they wanted, which pretty much was his dream.) Though the three of them never complained.

Ichimatsu was lounging in the corner of the room, eyes closed, using his tabby as a pillow. The cat peculiarly had glasses and eyebrows that it wore all the time for some reason, but since it appeared to be Ichi's best friend, nobody said anything about it. It followed him everywhere he went and slept on his lap during mass. Ichi was always the first one to sleep since he had to be up at five every morning to be able to do morning prayer.

Kara carefully moved around their bedroom, doing whatever he needed to do in silence as to not disturb his brother. Figuring that Ichi wasn't going to sleep in a futon tonight, he only laid out two, lifting his head when Todomatsu opened the door.

"Hello, dear Totty," he smiled.

"Hi," Todomatsu whispered, and Kara went back to what he was doing.

The youngest brother sat down on the carpet, tugging at the collar of his dress. It choked him constantly, the elastic inside having been way too tight for his neck. His thumb gently grazed over a raw patch of skin, stinging when he made contact with it. Letting out a sigh, he removed his hat and tossed it next to him, grabbing the bottom part of the white shirt he wore and pulled it over his head, struggling with the collar, but finally taking it off; the pink longsleeve dress he wore under it was much more comfortable.

Kicking off his shoes, he lifted that dress over his head too, changing into pajamas. Karamatsu had already done so and sat on a chest that ran parallel to the wall, arms resting on the windowsill, peering outside.

"What are you doing?" Todo asked, walking over and bending down a little to try and see what he was looking at.

Kara didn't answer, mouth hanging open a bit as he concentrated on the stars.

Todo nudged him. "Huh?"

Lifting an arm, Kara placed his finger on the cold window. "Do you see that row of stars right there?"

Todo scowled; there were too many rows to be able to pinpoint the one he was looking at. "Uh, which one?"

"This one," Kara grabbed his brother's hand, freeing his index finger, and placed it directly below a set. "The one with the three stars right next to each other."

"Oh, yeah, I see it." Todo looked down at his big brother, puzzled. "That's Orion's Belt. You didn't know that?"

Karamatsu didn't answer his question, watching the set of stars carefully. He looked sullen.

"Do you think that maybe, that's the three of them?"

Silence for a minute. Todomatsu stirred uncomfortably, a stitch on the wound the three of them shared popping loose.

"Oso, Jyushi, and Choro...?"

"Yes." Karamatsu rested his chin on his fist. "Those three stars are the first thing I see whenever I gaze up into the heavens. I like to think that maybe they're just trying to get my attention so I know that while I can't see them, all three are still here."

When Todomatsu didn't respond, the rather loud sound of him swallowing was enough to get Kara to turn his head. Hot tears streamed down the youngest brother's face, arms pressed against his ribcage, lip quivering and heart aching. The seams had been torn open on their wound and it was now openly bleeding. Karamatsu instantly felt terrible.

"Todomatsu, I'm sorry," he smiled empathetically, putting an arm around his brother's shoulder and pulling him close. Todo rested his chin on Kara's shoulder, letting himself cry for a while. The dim light of the moon that shone through reflected dully off of the tears that caught in his eyes and rolled off his face, falling onto his older brother's shirt and leaving damp spots.

Shakily, Todo breathed, "I miss them."

Karamatsu nodded, hugging his brother tighter. "I know, Todomatsu," he sighed, "I miss them too."


	2. Childhood Fears

Groggily, Todomatsu sat up, rubbing his eyes. It was still dark outside.

He didn't remember getting into his futon. Karamatsu was asleep with his arms on the windowsill, nestling his head; Ichimatsu was still sleeping in the corner, his kitty still functioning as his pillow. Todo must've fallen asleep sitting next to Kara, who carried him over to bed. That was fine. The question was, why had he woken up?

 _Tap tap tap._

Every hair on Todomatsu's body stood on end. Slowly, he turned his head toward the window. Relief flooded his body when he saw nothing was there. He must've just imagined it. _Calm down, you're just freaking yourself out because it's dark. Go back to sleep._

Reluctantly, he laid his head back down on his pillow and closed his eyes. He tore the covers upwards to cover his face a little more. Slowly, he felt himself being pulled away by sleep. His limbs grew heavy.

 _Tap tap tap._

Todomatsu ripped off his covers and hauled ass across the room, reaching for the box of matches he kept in his dress pocket. Breathing heavily as the tapping continued (down the hall, he noted), he struggled to get the matches out, but eventually freed them. He reached for his candles, shakily dumping the box out, grabbing a match and desperately striking it along the side of the box to get it to light. Finally, a flame flickered and the smell of sulfur dioxide filled his nose. He held it to all three candles before blowing it out, a bit of orange color comfortably pulsing on the walls as the wicks shrunk and grew the flames as they burned.

 _Tap tap tap._

It took a lot of courage to stand up, his heart pounding so hard it was moving the fabric of his clothes. Was somebody trying to get into the church through the hidden side door...? That door was masked by several trees that winded and twisted up the side of the building, stray branches and leaves spreading in all directions. He didn't think anybody knew that it was there, but the tapping noise sounded too close to be coming from the front of the church.

 _Tap tap tap._ But he didn't want to go alone.

"Nii-san?" His voice bubbled out of his throat, trying to wake either brother; whoever answered would work. Karamatsu made him feel safe because he gave off a natural big-brother feel and Ichimatsu made him feel safe because he was so fucking scary sometimes that Todo wondered what it would be like to get on his bad side. (Not only that, but he kept a gun on a holster on his leg in case he ever needed to use it.)

The tapping got louder and more demanding of attention. Todomatsu's knees wobbled, using his free hand to grab the doorframe, digging his nails into the wood. "Nii-san?"

Ichimatsu stirred, but grumbled something under his breath and turned, waking the cat, who looked around confusedly.

"Ichimatsu nii-san, are you awake?" Nothing. But his kitty stared tiredly at him. Todomatsu decided that he might be okay.

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty..." Todo tapped his thumb and index finger together gently, making sure ESP Kitty saw it. Wiggling his butt before bounding over and swatting at his hand, Todo felt just a smidgen safer. But that wasn't enough.

A glint in the room caught his eye as the tapping got even louder. Karamatsu's handheld mirror. Maybe if he brought it, it would _kinda_ feel like Karamatsu was there too...?

Todo pointed to it. "Kitty, go get that for me!" Intelligent as it was, the orange cat walked over, taking the handle of the golden mirror in his mouth, and carried it proudly back to Todomatsu, dropping it at his feet. The youngest picked it up, exhaling dreadfully. He guessed that meant he'd have to go by himself.

Slipping his fingers in the door and pulling it aside, he shoved the candles out into the hallway and poked his head out, looking in both directions. _Tap tap tap._ Yep, it was coming from the hallway that branched past the courtyard and led to the side door. Hopefully nobody needed shelter; was it raining outside?

With anxious steps, Todomatsu and the cat approached the courtyard foyer, following the candles Todo had already set. He could see that nothing was ahead, so at least he wasn't in total danger just yet.

 _Tap tap tap._ It sounded like fleshy fingertips pounding impatiently against glass. ESP Kitty brushed up against Todo's legs, mewing nervously. He continued on anyway, holding his candle out in front of him as he began his venture down the hallway as black as pitch.

The tapping hadn't happened again yet. In order to make it to the side door, he had to wind around a curved wall of a mirror, all the way to the end. It had always made him uncomfortable, since he had never liked mirrors anyway; he had no idea how Kara could sit around all day and watch himself in his handheld, silently drowning in his own vanity and narcissism. Now he had to trudge right next to it to greet some poor soul soaking in the rain outside and probably give them someplace to sleep.

The tapping had seemed to have ceased. There was the mirror, looming on his left side, grey, cold glass making the hallway feel lonelier that it should have. Taking a step into the mirror's territory, as if creeping across a thin ledge, Todomatsu carefully walked forward, watching his reflection move next to him as he made his way around the bend. His Doppelganger took every step directly next to him, watching him too, brown eyes and black irises peering into each other infinitely. Todo's grip on his brother's mirror tightened, his knuckles a creamy white.

Finally, he could see the door, and broke into a run, eager to pass the mirror. He did, breaking across the small stretch that the mirror didn't reach. The tapping had stopped. ESP Kitty right behind him, Todomatsu nervously splayed his fingers across the cold door, closing one eye to look through the peephole. When he was met by nothing, he stepped backwards and hesitantly reached for the knob, turning it and pulling the door open.

While it was raining, there wasn't a single soul in sight.

Todo's heart fell, in both relief and disappointment at the same time. Had somebody needed shelter, but left when he had taken forever to answer the door?

 _Tap tap tap._

Todomatsu froze, his bones made of ice. The cat hissed and hid behind the front of Todo's legs.

The tapping was coming from behind him now.

Moving his candles to the side, Todo turned his head, audibly hearing the bones in his neck creaking. Were Kara and Ichi trying to play a prank on him?!

Figuring there wasn't much else he could do but go back to bed, he shut the door and locked it, engulfing the hallway in pure darkness save for the light from his candles. Ichimatsu's cat stayed directly next to him, pressed up against his left leg.

Barefoot, Todo took a step back into the hallway, preparing to enter the mirror's territory again.

He could hear the sweat from the bottoms of his feet sticking to the floor. Why did he have to be the one who had to be woken up by this? His eyes were still swollen and heavy from crying; he didn't deserve to have to deal with something like this when he wasn't super cute. If he was going to die, he wanted to die with lipgloss and eyeliner on, at the very _least._

Another step welcomed him back in front of the mirror.

Todo continued on, watching the reflection still, the Doppelganger staring back. They both stared at each other until about halfway, when Todomatsu psyched himself out, the fear that maybe that _wasn't_ somebody seeking shelter and something else was lurking in the dark. Shaking and wanting to take a break for a minute, he adjusted his grip on his candles and stopped, but his heart nearly fell out of his chest and onto the floor. He could feel it pounding in his throat. Surely...?

 _Surely_ his reflection didn't stop a second later than he had...?

He chuckled nervously and looked at his feet. _Come on, Todomatsu, you're just freaking yourself out now. You're just tired. Keep going._

He lifted his head, the cat hissing again. Fearfully, Todo shot his gaze over to the mirror, but relaxed when he noticed that everything was aligned. He was just sleepy and was seeing things now. He continued on.

Watching the Doppelganger, he made it about three quarters of the way through before he stopped again, the reflection late by a millisecond again. Adrenaline pumped through Todo's veins now and terror assured that he was wide awake now. He wasn't seeing things. Something legitimately was off.

He stuck his elbow out to press against the mirror, but withdrew it with a yelp when he felt a sharp, searing pain and smelled burning flesh. It felt like he had stuck his arm onto a stove that was on its highest setting.

Karamatsu's mirror handle stuck to the skin of his palm from the sweat, which Todo readjusted to keep himself as comfortable as he possibly could've been in the moment. He shifted his gaze to the mirror but kept his head hung and felt bile rise up his throat. He threw a hand up to clamp over his mouth and dropped his brother's precious mirror, shattering the glass to pieces.

The reflection wasn't holding a mirror.

Todomatsu let out a scream, but couldn't get himself to move. He was completely frozen, staring at whatever the hell that thing was out of the corner of his eye. He panted, frantically trying to gulp in oxygen, heart beating so fast he thought he would have a heart attack. ESP Kitty bolted towards the courtyard into the darkness, deciding he had enough of this and was gonna get the hell out of there. Todo craved safety of the candle-lined hallway too, but couldn't get his legs to move.

Todo dropped his hand from his face and bugged at the reflection. Slowly, he moved his body outwards to look at the mirror head on.

Except the reflection didn't turn right away.

Todomatsu stumbled backwards, screaming at the top of his lungs and gripping at his chest as the reflection stayed in place, watching Todo blubber into horrified tears as it stood to the side.

Ever so slowly, the reflection turned to face the quivering boy, a gory, burgundy bullet hole through the left side of its forehead. The blood that pulsed out of it and drenched the left side of its face was a deep red.

Screaming so loudly his voice dissolved away and all he could feel was his throat vibrating and his ears ringing, he ran with the light of his candles blurred by the tears flinging out of his eyes. His hearing sounded like he was underwater. He made it to the courtyard door but kept running, making out figures deeper in the hallway in front of him. He didn't know if they were demons or not, but he kept going anyway, screaming but no sound coming out.

A figure on each side, they gripped his arms so tightly and felt their claws digging into his skin, heat from their evil scorching through his bloodstream. He cried for his brothers - both dead and alive - and cried for redemption, not even struggling to escape the creatures that had him. One of them took his candles off of him and blew them out, presumably to leave him in the dark to ponder how he was going to be torn to pieces, and the other shook him wildly, screeching something; probably some sort of tongue to curse him and melt his skin and muscle off of his bones.

He was dizzy and his vision was going red. He was ten years old, ears in pain from the sound of six mourning family members including himself screaming and showing no signs of stopping. He could feel the four remaining siblings he had tear at him and cry into his shoulder, but he was too dizzy to show them any sort of empathy. Suddenly, the vertigo had overtaken him overwhelmingly again and he threw his tiny hands over his ears, crushing his head so tightly it finally popped like a melon, the scene gushing into brighter color and looking a bit different. He was seventeen years old, three brothers clamped onto one another in front of a television set that was blaring white noise. He winced, the sound overcoming him as it seeped inside his skull, swelling itself inside against his brain and pushing outwards. The vessels in his eyes pulsed as he looked around, familiar faces melted away until nothing but holes remained where their expressions would've been. He stared inside one of these holes, the void inside beckoning him. Dizzy. Dizzy. Dizzy. His head spun, the white noise pushing further out. He was met with a decision: let the white noise possess him until his face melted too or escape to the void. Roughly reaching out and grabbing the edges of one of the voids, he tore it open until he began ripping seams in the fabric of time, emptiness consuming him until dizziness overcame him again and he smacked his head onto something hard, a migraine pumping through his brain. The room was navy blue and two brothers had their hands clasped together over a body, unidentifiable by the number of plants that grew at an alarmingly fast rate, vines sprouting and blossoming from the body's tear ducts, nostrils, ears, and mouth. Life began to cover up death, as if drowning it from existence and forcing it to be forgotten. He could feel water began to leak across the floor as if it were coming from the body. He looked down. Lilypads floated next to him, fishes swimming unaware. He drew his attention to the brothers, who continued to clasp their hands and mumble in tongues. Suddenly, he grew angry. What was this? This wasn't helping anything! This was pointless! Dizzy...

Frustrated hands were thrown up to his head and caught in his hair as he ripped them outwards, pulling clumps of his smooth, black hair and throwing them wherever he could. His brothers remained oblivious as he continued to tear his hair out, feeling the warm blood begin to pour down his face. Dizzy. Tears welled in pain as he continued to shed the hair on his head. Dizzy. The world was fading to white now. Dizzy. Dizzy. Dizzy. His head spun and he fell forward, face diving underwater. _I'm so dizzy... this doesn't feel very good..._

Wanting the dizziness to go away, he opened his mouth so wide he could feel the corners tearing, and inhaled as deeply as he possibly could've, feeling the dirty lake water crash into his lungs and pound against his ribs. His eyes jolted open, seeing everything and anything in the universe-the answers to every question that had previously been considered unanswerable. Engulfed in the white light, still feeling the demons clawing at his arms, he drowned.


	3. Sunshine

The fountain peacefully overflowed as it always did, the light of dawn creeping in through the skylight, leaving the typically-yellow room pink. Karamatsu, still in pajamas, sat next to it in the bank of the water, Todomatsu in his lap, head lolled over in unconsciousness. The scratches on his arms where they had been frantically grabbing him and trying to keep him from running into the wall at the end of the hallway had scabbed by now, pale streams of dried blood able to be flaked off. Karamatsu's head bobbed tiredly. They had been in the courtyard ever since they had panicked when Todo had passed out and dragged him there, Ichimatsu immediately beginning his morning prayers and drawing them out for much longer than he usually did.

Finally, Ichimatsu rolled back to sit on the heels of his feet, adjusting his black veil. He pulled his sick mask back up onto his mouth, peering up at the giant brass cross in silence.

Karamatsu skimmed the back of his hand over Todo's forehead, sighing worriedly.

"Ichimatsu, his forehead might as well be on fire."

Ichimatsu twisted around, looking over at his younger brother. He didn't say anything for a minute, but then got up and walked over to them, sitting down in front of him. Kara held his arms outwards, holding the body closer to him, and Ichi felt his forehead too. He withdrew his hand and fixed his offset scalpular.

"Saying things like that just digs him a deeper grave." His heavy eyes watched in between the veil and mask, and Kara disappointedly dropped his eyes onto the sleeping brother. "He just passed out. He's not dead yet. He's not going to die, either."

ESP Kitty bounded over and meowed at Ichimatsu, rolling over into the water and requesting that he scratch his belly. Ichimatsu complied.

"I know, I just..." Kara reflected on praying over Choromatsu as he was dying and how little that did for them. He sheepishly dragged a hand across his eye. "Praying doesn't always work."

Ichi didn't say anything, focusing on his cat. Kara, somber, adjusted his brother's body in his lap and watched his chest rise and fall.

"...Is this because I haven't been a very good big brother...?" Karamatsu pondered aloud, setting Ichi off. Reaching out, he ripped at Kara's collar, tearing him close to his face so he could glare him right in the eye.

"Why the fuck would this be your fault?!" he barked, "You're constantly comparing anything that happens to how good of a brother you are! You know, why should you have to raise yourself plus two younger brothers? Mom died, so that can't be helped there, but have you forgotten you technically have a father?!" Karamatsu looked like a scolded puppy, but Ichimatsu kept going. "You know, the same father that up and left after Jyushimatsu died because he didn't want to deal with it like the coward he was? If you're gonna blame anyone, blame that son of a bitch!"

Kara nodded, a lump in his throat, and Ichi let go of him. Ichi scritched behind his cat's ears.

"You're being overdramatic," he mumbled, his words even more muffled by his mask, "So shut up. He's only been knocked out for like, six hours. He'll wake up soon."

Ichi held out his arms, Kara lifting his head.

"Give him to me. I'll keep an eye on him. Go get dressed and eat or something; I'll be in here."

Reluctantly, Karamatsu handed over their youngest brother and stood up, his legs having fallen asleep from sitting there for hours. He turned on his heel and walked towards the door, but turned around to look back at them before he left. Ichimatsu slid a hand across Todo's neck, feeling for a pulse, and shook his head.

"Still not dead."

Kara smiled bleakly at his little brother's small attempt to cheer him up and closed the door behind him, leaving the purple and pink brother alone.

Upon hearing the echo of the door clicking shut, Ichi glanced down at the sleeping brother, whose mouth hung open and hands were clenched into fists. His black hair hung lazily down, his bangs loose from their usual spot and hanging off the side of his face. Ichi ran a hand through the bangs, trying to comb them from the mess that they were.

"Damn, Todomatsu, your hair looks like mine," Ichi laughed at himself, leaving his hair alone.

He had been jolted awake when he heard him screaming at the top of his lungs down the hallway alongside shattering glass. Karamatsu woke up the same time he did and the two of them bolted to the door, throwing it open. ESP Kitty scittered inside, somehow having gotten out of the room. Side by side, they ran down the hallway using Todo's candles as a guide to where they were going, and saw him round a corner and come flying with his candles wobbling on their base and his mouth open in terror. They waited for him to stop, but he kept going, not even seeing them. At that rate, he would run right past them and barrel into the wall at the end of the hall, hurting himself pretty bad.

Ichi with one arm and Kara with the other, they shoved against their panicked brother, who started screaming for all five older brothers, not even fighting their grip but instead trying to surpass them. Ichi, afraid the candles would fall and set the carpet on fire, tore Todo's fingers apart and took them off of him, blowing them out. Kara desperately shook him, trying to break him of the delirium, but it didn't work. After a minute or two of frantic screaming for his family members both dead and alive, Todomatsu fell unconscious. With no other immediate explanation, they ran to the courtyard and began praying for him.

"What the hell were you even doing?" Ichi asked him, even though he knew he wouldn't get an answer for a while. He caught a glance of black fabric on Todomatsu's elbow and scrunched his eyebrows, lifting up his arm. In his panic, his candles must've burned a hole through his shirt and turned his skin a glossy, charred pink. Ichi ran a finger gently over the wound, wincing in second-hand pain; it seemed like it hurt real bad.

The door creaked behind him and he turned, Karamatsu walking next to them and squatting down.

"Is he well?"

"He hasn't really changed."

"Ah, that's better than being worse, right?" A hand combed through his fringe, and Ichimatsu figured it was a good sign that his painfulness returned; that meant he felt confident that things might be okay.

"Yeah, sure, whatever."

"Dearest Ichimatsu, mass is going to start very soon. What are we going to do with Totty?"

Ichimatsu glanced down at his brother before sliding him off of his lap onto the floor. "We can just leave him in here. Nobody'll bother him. We can lock the door in the back of the nave so nobody can even get back here."

Reluctantly, Karamatsu nodded. "You think you'd be up to the task of leading the choir, then?"

Ichimatsu grabbed Kara's hand and pulled himself onto his feet. He shrugged. "Yeah. It doesn't seem that hard."

"Do you think Todomatsu will be alright back here by himself, or should we bring him up front where we can keep a close eye on him?"

"Kara, he's fine. He's just sleeping."

"...Alright."

With that, the blue and purple brothers left the pink one behind, laying quietly on the courtyard floor.

...

Ouch.

Todomatsu could feel that he was in somebody's lap, but wasn't sure whose it was. His brain throbbed against his skull and his eyes were too sore to open them. He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice was completely gone from all the screaming he had done. He felt paralyzed, not able to move anything, but knew that it would just be temporary. He was tired and longed for his futon, but judging by the yellow light that enveloped the room warmly around him and shone through his eyelids, he was in the courtyard. (The sound of the fountain probably gave it away, too.)

A fluttering sound of a bird's wings was audible over the noise of the fountain. Silently, Todo wondered if he had accidentally let one in when he had the door open last night, but he had more important things to worry about. It probably wasn't hurting anything and was likely bathing in the fountain. That fountain is blessed... that bird is gonna live an awfully lucky life.

Todo was caught off guard when he suddenly felt hands press lightly against his cheeks. Powerless to do anything, he laid in the person's lap as they dragged their cool hands across his face ever so gently, reaching back up to his forehead once they reached his chin.

He was confused. The hands felt like they were covered in calluses, which weren't Karamatsu's hands because he hardly ever did anything that would endanger the self-proclaimed "attractiveness" of his smooth skin, and they weren't Ichimatsu's because this person's hands weren't clammy. Whoever's they were, they dipped their hands in the water of the fountain and began dragging them down his face again, but this time, the water soothed the scratches on his face. It felt like eucalyptus, the feeling of the water chilling his injuries and nearly reversing them. The person ran two fingers of each hand up the sides of Todo's head, letting them linger by his temples. He could feel the aching of his head throb gentler and gentler until it had dissolved completely.

What was going on...?

He still couldn't move or open his eyes. He felt the person softly place a hand by his burned elbow, reaching for the water of the fountain with their free hand. Scooping water over, they let their cupped hand slowly tilt over the wound as the water spilt out; the stinging, searing pain slowly went away and he could feel the tight, damaged skin loosen as it returned to normal. He wanted to cry out of gratitude. He felt fine.

Able to tilt his head a little, he turned it towards the person, finding comfort in the sweet smell of their clothes. It was almost familiar; nostalgic, as if he had known this smell before. He was younger again, but this time, instead of making his head explode and tearing the holes in his brothers' faces open and ripping his hair out in front of a garden growing out of a decaying body, he found himself to be flooded with peace. Six brothers crowded around a table, playing cards with each other and teasing each other when somebody lost. Five brothers in matching uniforms in a dusty baseball field, sweat collecting under their hats as they ran and slid and burned their faces under the sun. Four brothers shoved up against the front of a stage, calling out to an idol with their matching glowsticks and outfits.

Comforted with the pleasant memories of the past, worn Todomatsu was lulled into sleep.

...

Karamatsu and Ichimatsu shut the church doors, having bid farewell to all of the congregation in the narthex. All of Ichi's strays padded across the nave in investigation of any trash they could find. Picking anything they found up with their mouths and carrying it to him to throw away, he took out a bag of dried sardines from under his habit, rewarding them all for their work. Karamatsu walked up the center aisle up to the pulpit, turning off the microphone.

"See, leading the choir wasn't all that bad, was it, little Ichimatsu?" He yelled, letting the nave do the amplifying for him.

"No, but I'd still rather be front row of the congregation," he admitted, following up the sides of the room next to the stained glass. As he moved past them, it flashed him several colors a second, the intricateness a rainbow. Karamatsu stepped from the pulpit and moved to the side too, waiting for him to walk down the hallway that led to their private section of the church. Once the purple boy had caught up to him, they began together.

"Hopefully he's woken up," Karamatsu wished out loud.

"I hope so," Ichi agreed, reaching down to scoop up ESP Kitty, who had been nipping at his heels. "If not, he's probably gonna wake up soon, so it'll be okay."

Karamatsu unlocked and pushed the door to the foyer open and shut it behind them, the yellow light shining through the courtyard windows.

"I always liked the color of that room," Ichi mumbled, "This church is a pretty colorful place."

"Amen, brother!" Karamatsu laughed, stepping up the stairs to reach the courtyard door. ESP Kitty and Ichimatsu behind him, he twisted the knob and welcomed the noise of the rushing water, but a strange shadow on the floor caught them off guard. Their eyes followed the shadow.

Perched on top of the fountain was an entity with large, feathery ivory wings, hunched over protectively with its back to the door and its wings wrapped around its body.

"What the hell?!" Ichimatsu cried out, taking a step forward and pulling his mask onto his chin. Having not heard them enter, the entity shot their head upwards, straightening their back. Black hair bobbed above the wings with a golden halo, and they stood up, balancing one bare foot on the tip of the detail of the fountain, spinning around.

In their arms laid a sleeping Todomatsu, and in their face crept a very specific expression that gave away that it was most definitely, undeniably...

"Jyushimatsu?!"

The two of them cried out simultaneously, Ichimatsu dropping his cat (who was displeased at this) as they ran over, deliriously trying to climb the fountain to the top. Making it a little easier for them, Jyushimatsu placed his other foot down and bent down, careful not to drop his little brother.

"Karamatsu nii-san and Ichimatsu nii-san! I've missed you!" He smiled wide, mouth hanging open and his precious tongue as they were in life. Tears streamed down his brothers' faces as they desperately tried to scale the fountain but had no luck. He saw Karamatsu grasp at a sharp edge of the statue and slip off of it from the slickness of the water, gashing the palm of his hand open. The blue brother slid down, cursing in pain and bad luck. Jyushi frowned.

"Wait, I'll make it easier!" Wings outstretched, he leapt off of the fountain and softly floated to the floor, Todomatsu still asleep. His two older brothers watched him until his toes touched the floor, to which they then ran over and nearly tackled him in reunion, squeezing him so tightly they could've burst his happy little heart that beat excitedly in his chest.

"Jyushimatsu," they both kept repeating, breathy voices through their tears. Ichimatsu reached up at his face and cupped it in his hands in disbelief.

"How," he sobbed, "How are you here...? Are you real...?"

"Of course I'm real, nii-san!" Jyushi grinned a mile wide, big brown eyes smiling at the two of them. "You prayed for a deus ex machina, did you not?"

Karamatsu glanced over at Ichimatsu, hands in Jyushi's hair to clarify his reality, confusedly.

"You did...?" He nearly whispered in the hysteria from the sight of his dead brother alive and breathing in front of him.

Ichimatsu looked nervously back and forth between his big and little brother, face blushing red. "Well, I, um... I h-had. I honestly didn't think Todomatsu would make it, knowing our luck, Karamatsu," He stuttered once he saw his brother's perplexed expression, "I know, I lied to you, nii-san, I'm sorry, I just didn't want you to worry-"

"-It's no big deal, Ichimatsu nii-san!" Jyushi interjected, "Totty was nowhere dying, anyway. He just got a little overwhelmed with something and hurt his head, that's all. We had nothing to worry about!" He straightened his back and puffed out his chest proudly, his yellow tunic nearly as bright as the smile on his face, "Either way, you needed something to help keep you grounded and keep an eye on Todomatsu for you. So God sent me to be your guardian angel!"

Karamatsu ignored the fact that Ichi had lied to him - mainly because it was minute compared to the current situation - and pressed a hand against Jyushi's wing. It felt just like a bird's feathers and was soft to touch; yet Kara quickly withdrew his hand and grabbed his wrist, the gash in his palm prickling with pain.

"Oh! Nii-san, come here!" Jyushi ran over to the fountain, kneeling down to be able to set Todo in his lap. Ichi and Kara followed suit, leaning in to investigate.

"Hold out your hand!" Jyushi instructed, which Kara did. Scooping up water with a free hand, Jyushi poured it onto the wound, and right in front of their eyes, the infection bubbled away and the skin pulled itself back together.

"Holy shit..." Ichimatsu murmured in awe. Karamatsu's jaw dropped at the sight and he drew a finger across his palm, feeling for any bump of a scar or any pain.

"Little Jyushimatsu, how did you do that?" Kara's eyes twinkled in appreciation and amazement, looking over the yellow brother. Jyushimatsu's smile flickered across his cheeks and he shrugged, stifling a laugh out of Ichi. (He genuinely had no idea how he could do that; when he became an angel he just somehow had that ability. He liked it though; it made people happy, which made his heart smile.)

Ichi threw a hand onto one of Jyushi's wings, Kara doing the same on the other side, and the two of them leant in, squeezing him (and Todomatsu, sandwiched in the middle), tightly. Ichi genuinely smiled from ear to ear, eyes glittering with teardrops. His deep voice crackled with rare passion.

"You little ray of sunshine, I've missed you so much."


	4. Negotiation

Sleeping mask over her eyes and the hot pink covers pulled over her ears, Totoko laid in bed, only somewhat pissed off that she hadn't gotten as much attention she had hoped that day.

Who the hell did everyone think they were?! She was a _great_ idol and her CDs deserved to sell out and tickets to her shows needed to be sold on eBay for ridiculous prices that people would actually be willing to pay because she was just that great! Yet still, no more than a couple people appeared at each of her shows (and Choromatsu would've been there too if he hadn't gotten sick all those years ago; she counted him as present anyway). Grumbling to herself, she gripped the covers tighter. The nerve of people.

And where in the hell were the remaining Matsuno brothers? They were her biggest fans, yet she hadn't seen them in years! Who just falls off the face of the Earth like that?!

Luckily, as she laid there, she began to relax herself and started to fall asleep, the sound of crickets outside distracting her from bubbling rage. Her face fell more and more stoic, and she felt herself being pulled away from consciousness.

"Totoko-chan." God _damn_ everything! She was just about to fall asleep!

"Huh...? What?" Totoko just laid there, recognizing the voice as a Matsu, but had known them for so many years that she wasn't even fazed that one of them had found their way into her room. "Damn you, I was sleeping."

"I know; I'm sorry," he apologized, "Come over here."

Totoko scowled, inconvenienced. "What? No? I'm in bed, you idiot!" She rubbed her eye through the mask. "Which one are you? I can't tell."

The Matsuno's voice grew desperate. "Totoko-chan, please?"

Totoko was silent for a minute before clicking her tongue. "I don't have a bra on."

"...Can't you just put one on or something?"

" _Not with you in the damn room!_ "

"I can close my eyes."

"Wha-who _are_ you, anyway?!"

Totoko ripped the mask off of her face to investigate, seeing red with her patience thin. Her blood turned to ice when she saw that nobody was even in the room.

"H-Huh...?"

She sat up and leant forward to look out of her window. No one. _What in God's name..._

"Totoko-chan, I'm over here."

Her head spun over to glance deeper into her room. Literally _no one_ was there.

"What the fuck?" Totoko mumbled, swinging her legs over the side of her bed and standing up, walking through her room. "Where?"

A tapping noise caught her attention and she shifted her gaze to the right; in the mirror on her vanity, one of the brothers waved sheepishly at her _from the inside._ Maybe it wouldn't have been so frightening if he didn't visibly have a bullet in his head that looked like it was gushing everywhere.

She screamed, covering her mouth with her hands and locking her knees. The brother inside the mirror flung a hand up and threw a finger in front of his lips, shushing her.

"Shhh, be quiet! It's not that bad! See?" Desperate to prove himself, he took his left hand and reached up, digging three fingers into the gory bullet hole. Totoko could do nothing but watch in horror as this wet, macabre noise came from the mirror as he dug around, clamping his middle and thumb onto something. Wincing only slightly, he managed to pull out a bullet about an inch and a half long, gore and tissue stuck to it on some parts of the metal. Holding it out in front of him, he tried to make the situation better by giving an awkward smile and a tiny, "See?"

"What the fuck," Totoko murmured, sitting down against her wall, "Are you... are you Osomatsu...?"

"Yes!" The mirror replied cheerfully, happy to hear someone he knew say his name to him for the first time in almost 15 years.

"You-! You're supposed to be _dead_!" Totoko shrieked at him, pointing a finger. "I remember your funeral! I stayed over your house for a week after with Chibita to keep your brothers company!"

"Listen to me, I need you to listen," Osomatsu pleaded, wishing that she could shut up for maybe five seconds.

Totoko breathed heavily, hand on her chest.

"Are you listening?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

" _Yes._ Just... talk, please!"

"Okay. So, I think you've learned by now that yes, I died when I was ten. I was shot. The wound is clearly there." Osomatsu replaced the bullet for some odd reason, placing it back where it was much to Totoko's disgust. "When I died, I was a nervous, crying little boy shoved into purgatory. I was still too young for my actions to be determined by anybody yet, so I was given a decision: go to heaven and stay dead, or have a chance to live again as a demon." Oso ran a finger under his nose. "Now, obviously, you know a frightened child is going to pick the option to live again."

Totoko grew less and less scared and loosened her muscles, watching Osomatsu curiously. This had to have been the strangest thing she had seen in a reaaaaally long time.

She nodded once. "Yeah." That was understandable.

Oso leant out and rested his arms against the mirrored container that held all of her makeup on her dresser, a coy smirk on his face. "Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but if you're anything like you used to be, you're deserving of the whole world."

Totoko clenched her fist agreeingly, letting out a laugh. "Hell yes!"

"But it's still not yours." Oso overexaggerated a frown, placing his index fingers at the corners of his mouth. "And that makes you sad."

Totoko sat up straight suspiciously, sliding a foot out under her and propping her up on her heel. "Wait, what are you getting at?"

Osomatsu slid a hand through his smooth black fringe. "While technically I _am_ a demon, you can probably see that I don't have horns, right?"

"Yeah, so...?"

"That's because I have to earn them. On my side of the mirror, it's a totally different world. And _I'm_ the prince of it all."

Totoko lurched forward, falling off of her heel and catching herself before she could smack her face on the hardwood floor. She shot back up, gathering her footing to stand.

"A prince?!" Her jaw was nearly on the ground.

"Yep, the prince; see, they felt bad for me since I left my brothers behind and had terrible separation anxiety, so they kinda spoiled me a little. Once I get my horns, I can be King." His expression grew suddenly serious, and he stared the hysteric girl right in the eye. "In order to become King, though, I need a Queen."

"What-no!" Totoko crossed her arms across her chest and huffed. "Goddamn you, I thought this was going somewhere good! First you freak me out by showing up in the first place when you're supposed to be _dead_ for cripes sake, and then you start spewing shit about me marrying you?!" With a 'hmph', she turned her head stubbornly. "I never liked you like that anyway! Besides, it'd require a 15-year catch-up, and I don't have the time for that! I'm an idol, you know! I'm a busy girl! I have places to do and things to be-" Flustered at messing up her words, she twisted one of her pigtails, "-Oh! You know what I mean!"

Osomatsu looked kind of disappointed, but didn't mention anything about it. "Totoko-chan, nobody's asking you to marry me?"

"What the hell do you think 'becoming a Queen' means?!" Totoko threw a hand on her forehead. "Oh, I'm dreaming. This is just a bad dream, Totoko! Wake up, wake up, wake up!" Desperate to prove herself right, she scanned the room and found her pink shoes she usually wore. Running over and slipping one on, she put all her weight on it and crushed her opposite foot with the heel. Crying out in pain, she removed it and pulled her bruising foot up, tears of regret welling in her eyes.

"Somehow I can't help but feel like there was an easier way to do that," Osomatsu said, leaning to the side to try and see her out of the mirror.

She took the shoe off and kicked it next to her bed, limping back over in front of the mirror. "So this isn't a dream...?" Her voice was small.

"No. You have to listen to me though," Oso began again, trying to negotiate, "I knew you my whole life. I realize there's been a bit of a time gap since I've talked to you last, but nobody here is requiring you to actually love me." He rolled his eyes, shoulders sulking. "I mean, that would be nice, but unfortunately that's not gonna happen. And I mean, sure, you may or may not have to marry me in order to be Queen, but we can just fake it. We don't actually have to get married, we just have to somehow convince everyone we did. Consider that if you do that, we both get what we want-I get my horns and will eventually earn the ability to break the mirror and come onto the other side, and you'll have anything you want." He shrugged. "I mean, after all, this world technically is mine, so it'd be yours, too."

Totoko watched him uncertainly, wringing her hands in front of her. "Osomatsu-kun, I don't know about this."

"Come on, Totoko, it'll be fun. We used to have tons of fun together, remember?" He smiled at her. "This'll be like that, only instead of having a small section of a town to have fun in, we'll have everything."

Totoko stood there in thought. She wanted the world, yes, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to give up the things she held dear on the other side.

"I'd have to leave everything behind, though, wouldn't I...?"

Osomatsu nodded, mouth curved into a sympathetic frown. Totoko looked back over at her bed, the covers still askew and her sleep mask lying on top. Was she really prepared to do this...?

But then again, what opportunity did she have over here? She was just going to inherit a fish market. How boring was that? Her career as an idol was going nowhere. She wasn't finding love no matter how hard she looked. She could stay here and wallow in her own bad luck and misery, or she could climb into the mirror and be treated like the royalty she knew she was.

Swallowing, she lifted her head. "Alright. I'll do it."

Osomatsu smiled, actually not having expected to get that far. "Sounds like a plan." He took a step back and held out his hand. "You'll have to come to me, though; I can't leave the mirror."

Totoko walked over to the vanity, bringing one leg up onto it, hesitantly holding her delicate hand close to her chest. "Huh? My hand will just hit the glass and I'll break one of my nails."

"Just trust me."

Nodding and enjoying her last glimpse of her bedroom, Totoko shakily outstretched her arm, which surpassed the glass much to her shock and reached inside the mirror, taking her old friend's hand.

Bringing both legs onto the vanity and putting all of her trust in him, Totoko held her breath as Osomatsu pulled her out of her reality and into his.


	5. Enough

"See, sweet Totty? Nothing's up. You must've just been seeing things."

Karamatsu waved at the mirror, stuck his tongue out at it, pulled at the bottoms of his eyelids. The entire time, his reflection remaining in time with him throughout the entirety. It also wore Karamatsu's clothes, had his thick, well-kept eyebrows, and lacked a bullet in its face.

The second son turned around, investigating Todo's demeanor for his acceptance. The youngest nodded, and Kara stepped away from the mirror, ruffling his brother's hair.

"And I'm sorry about yours, nii-san," Todomatsu murmured shamefully. Yeah, sure, that handheld embodiment of Kara's painfulness was tacky as tacky could be, but it was his comfort object. That would be like dropping Ichimatsu's cat off in the middle of the woods or smashing the screen of his old phone with a hammer.

Unsurprisingly, Kara's eyes glistened and he patted Todo's head. "Don't sweat it, brother! You were frightened. Nothing a little bit of superglue couldn't fix; the body of the mirror is fine, the glass just shattered."

The corner of Todo's mouth twitched to a half smile, a falsified chuckle escaping his lips. Kara had already gathered all of the pieces that laid on the floor and brought them to Ichimatsu, who was working on fitting them back together like a puzzle. Sure, after breaking away and tumbling into his brothers he grew feverish and began to freak out, but he was positive that what he had seen was actually happening. It was before the walls started melting away and things became desaturated and all of that. It was real.

...Right?

He was following Kara down the winding hallway now, hearing his poetic sentences penetrate his eardrums, but not really knowing what he was saying; he wasn't really listening.

"I think you may have just been lucid dreaming," Kara theorized, the light of the courtyard windows flashing off of his black tunic. "Though usually, you don't get up and walk around. The nightmares will come to you." He scratched his nose. "I shouldn't have told you about Orion's Belt, I don't think."

Todomatsu hesitated in his disagreement, eyebrows pinching. "Don't be ridiculous!" He crossed his arms across his chest, puffing his cheeks. "I was just sick with a bug. Don't keep things from me because you think stuff like that will happen!"

Kara laughed at his immaturity. Some things stayed the same. "Okay, okay, I promise." His hand hovered over the courtyard door handle, looking back at Totty. "But for future reference-you know we live in a church and that nothing evil can get you, right?"

"Duh."

"Alright. I was just making sure."

Jyushimatsu was perched atop his fountain, giggling sweetly with his nose in the air. On the tip of it was an emperor butterfly, moving its sugary purple wings back and forth contently. Jyushi's feathery appendages imitated the insect, his tongue lolling out through his teeth in halcyon. Smiles spread across Kara and Todo's faces; their brother's infectious personality was definitely something they missed.

"Little brother?" Kara called out, causing Jyushi to flinch in surprise. The sudden movement startled the purple butterfly, who fluttered towards the skylight. It was deep into the night, but Todo had only first woken up a couple hours before, explaining what had happened and reuniting with his big brother. The likelihood of them getting a wink of sleep that night was slim to none.

Despite the fact that the night hung heavy and the stars twinkled through the window on the roof, the courtyard was glowing with light. Todo comfortably blew out his candles.

"Oh, hello Karamatsu nii-san!" Jyushimatsu jumped down, a handful of feathers from his wings falling loose and floating softly to the floor. Some got caught in the pool of water and slowly got sucked deeper into the fountain's overflow.

"You said that you were sent down to keep an eye on Todomatsu." Kara glanced over at the pink brother. "Now that Totty's fine, are you going to go back to heaven?"

"Nope!" Jyushimatsu yelled loudly in typical Jyushimatsu fashion. "You three didn't have a guardian angel anyway. So up until the last one of you dies, I'm going to watch over you!"

Todo grinned awkwardly. "That's kind of grim..." he remarked quietly.

Kara slicked back his hair. "We're glad you're here again, little Jyushi."

"Me too, nii-san." Jyushi's eyes fell for a second, rather out-of-character for him, his mouth closing nearly entirely, his tongue flat. Todo caught it and sweat beaded at his hairline. Was heaven really as great as religion made it out to be...?

The door behind them slid open with a click, scaring all three of them. Ichimatsu, mask at his chin, hunkered his back and mumbled, "I'm going for a walk." before closing the door again.

Kara turned himself and called out, "Wait, Ichimatsu! At an hour like this?"

No reply for a second, but he was answered by a muffled "yes" through the wall down the mirror hallway. Kara crossed his arms and exchanged a glance with Todomatsu.

"I wish he didn't carry himself like such a bullheaded, closed-up person," Kara vented, "I know he's not really that way. You'd think he'd be his true self around his brothers."

Todo clicked his tongue and let out a dubious "huh" and Jyushi twiddled his thumbs, unsure of what to say.

The youngest brother shrugged, adjusting his grip on his candles. "I mean, what would Ichimatsu nii-san be without his scary personality?"

Karamatsu and Jyushimatsu nodded in agreement. Then Jyushi squinted and cocked his head, pulling on his halo. "Scary?"

...

Ichi preferred the hooting of the owls and the clicking of the cicadas to the sound of most peoples' voices. He went on walks like this all the time to clear his mind of the toxic fog that clouded his brain; the only reason he told his brothers this time around was because they knew he was working on Kara's mirror and it would be noticeable if he went mysteriously missing for an hour or two.

ESP Kitty followed close behind, coy smile on his face as always. The chill of the night wind felt nice through his fur. Entering the thick of the woods, Ichi pulled his mask onto his face to keep it warm, messing with his veil.

Truthfully speaking and to the point, Ichimatsu hadn't been feeling very well for a while.

For years, actually. Things were just calmer back then; the larger beast had only been lurking in the shadows undetected at that time while Ichi dealt with a somewhat smaller issue that was his anxiety. Ever since he was a kid, he would sometimes grow nervous and begin to shake, invisible walls closing in on his body and crushing his chest, making him wheeze and struggle to find what was threatening to him. Sometimes he would just feel a little uncomfortable, and then other times he would be smothered with this impending feeling of doom that couldn't, wouldn't go away, and he'd hyperventilate, shoving himself away somewhere to hide from whatever was about to happen that he was so nervous about. At least, until Choromatsu or Karamatsu found him and would bring him back to Earth.

Ichi lifted his head and squinted past the stars, watching the white moon that hung ominously above him. His anxiety didn't bother him as much anymore as did depression, which began to show on the surface towards their late teens. Even before Jyushimatsu had drowned and dropped the breathing sibling count to four, Ichi found himself weighted down by dullness he couldn't quite place his finger on, the world leaking its color to grey. Dealing with the mourning process afterwards, he figured that as the others slowly bubbled back to normal he would do the same too; that never happened.

Since then, he found himself often lounging around with no motivation to do anything. Kara urged him to get up and "move your bones, brother! They'll turn to dust if you keep lying there!" Of course, he hadn't meant it maliciously; he was just trying to fit into the large shoes that Oso had left behind. Ichi grimaced disgustedly. You know, even though he'd been dead for what? 15 years, Kara spent so much time swimming in his shadow that he might as well had grown up alongside them. Almost immediately Ichimatsu felt bad for thinking that; he shouldn't berate the dead. Then again, who knew he had thought it at all other than himself? He didn't have to conform to the others. They were sextuplets, sure, but they didn't have to be identical right down to their opinions.

He loved Oso; of course he did, and he missed him all the time. But sometimes, he felt as if the others still dwelled on his death like it had happened the day before. It was important to make sure that they never forgot him, but at one point, you would have to let go and keep him in your memory, right? Ichi's habit blew behind him, the wind growing stronger and biting his skin harder. To think something so harsh and selfish... that had to be a sin. But...

The purple boy bit the inside of his cheek. He never wanted to address it, even just within his thoughts, but he had a hard time believing that the "God" Totty sang about and Kara preached of was as great as they made Him out to be. After all, if he was, why had He put them through so much pain and grief and continued to do so even after they dedicated their damn lives to him?

Ichi drove a palm into his forehead and ground it against his skull, grimacing in regret. Blasphemy, blasphemy, blasphemy that was to think! He was staining the holy uniform he wore with gross sin. ESP Kitty rubbed against the bare parts of his legs that were revealed when the wind blew his tunic and he had realized that he had stopped walking. Jyushimatsu was proof that God existed. He was an angel of his. But he didn't seem like he was all that excited about it.

Perhaps Hell was a nicer place.

 _No! What the fuck are you thinking?!_

Ichi forced himself to sit down rather roughly, startling his cat and making him sprint off to the side to prevent himself from being crushed. Watching his owner grind his hands into his eyes, occasionally shoving his bangs out of his eyes with staggered breaths, the kitty walked over, climbing into his lap. Irate tears trickled down his raw, rosy cheeks, sore from the cold and burning from the wetness of the salt. They collected rather uncomfortably on the material of his mask, the area below his eyes drowning in the stuff. Deciding that was too troublesome for him, the fourth son brought a hand up and grasped onto the edge of his mask, fingers tight as he tore it off his face, the elastic strings holding it onto him snapping off and lashing once, stinging his ears and cheeks. He threw it harshly at the ground, his cat pressing himself against Ichi's belly to be as far away as possible from the line of fire. He purred in an attempt to calm his friend down, but judging by the huffing he was making and the droplets that fell steadily and dampened his orange fur, he was just going to need to calm himself down on his own.

He had enough. He was sick of everything. He just wanted everything to be normal again.

That couldn't happen. You couldn't bring people back from the dead.

Or could you? Jyushimatsu was here. Jyushimatsu was okay.

But he was still dead. He just had wings to act like lungs. He wasn't really alive. He was just doing a job.

Ichimatsu hated himself. For as long as he could remember, he had hated himself, from the way that his voice sounded to the way that the bridge of his nose looked all the way down to his core where his shitty personality was.

He hated himself. He had enough of this. Enough, enough, enough.

Religion was a lie. It was just a shitty way of distracting yourself from life that tore you to bits every single fucking day; just some sort of marketing tool for the hope that didn't exist.

He laid down onto the dusty ground of the trail, his habit and veil growing lighter in some spots as the dirt collected on the fabric. ESP Kitty squeezed in between his arms, rubbing his fur on Ichi's face, but he didn't even seem to realize he was there.

His stomach convulsed in a deep ache that racked throughout his body. He didn't want to get up. He just wanted to lay there until the crows and maggots came for him, taking him away piece by piece until he was nothing.

And his brothers. Oh, his brothers.

Kara got on his damn nerves with his positivity and continuous effort to be the real adult of the three of them. That fucking narcissist stared at himself all day anyway; what the hell did he know about responsibility? How did he know how Ichimatsu felt? He didn't. He liked to think he did, but he didn't.

And Todomatsu. He was a shady little rat bastard. He was manipulative, a liar, and thought he was 10x better than the rest of them because somebody thought it would be a good idea to nail into his brain that he was the cutest one. He was an ugly fuck just like the rest of them. He acted like he had gotten over that part of himself once they moved into the church, but Ichi knew better. People may seem like they change, but deep down they're still the same they always were.

Through his self-pity, Ichi could hear his cat meowing loudly, shivering against his skin. Ichi shifted his glassy eyes to the sky, where he could make out silver knives falling from the black, soaking the two of them. It was raining.

He should probably go back or the others would start worrying about him.

 _But I don't want to get up._

He had to get up. His kitty was cold. So was he. A shower would be nice. It was a shame the bathhouse was so far away.

 _I just want to lay here._

ESP Kitty's meowing grew louder and sounded more like crying. His head was in the crook of Ichi's neck, trying to keep himself warm with the body heat.

 _Sorry._

The rain poured harder and Ichimatsu closed his eyes.

 _Sorry._

A hiss rang out and Ichi felt razor-sharp claws rip across his face, water droplets falling into the wound and it felt as if somebody was trying to turn his skin inside out.

He weakly opened one eye, inspecting his cat. He was watching him angrily, confused as to why he was just laying there. The two of them were cold and wet, yet he just laid there. Deciding that he wasn't going to be able to get his owner to stand up, he laid down next to him, shuddering quietly as the wind and rain dug its teeth into his skin.

Ichi watched him.

 _Get up._

Eyes flickered up to the sky. A flash of electricity and a clamor of thunder helped him take note that the storm was right above them.

 _Get up._

He let out a heavy breath. He shifted his arm so his elbow was perpendicular to him and pressed his palm against the trail. Pebbles burrowed into his hand. ESP Kitty shivered again.

 _He's cold. Get up._

Ichi got himself to sit up, catching his cat's attention. He stood on all fours, turning around to watch Ichi lift himself off the ground.

 _Almost there. If you stay out here any longer, they're going to look for you._

Bringing his leg under him, his knees wobbled as he stood up, slowly trying to brush the wet dust off of his clothes. ESP Kitty skittered up, pawing at his legs. Reaching down, the purple boy scooped him up, holding the cat against his chest.

 _Now walk._

Even though he didn't want to, he took unhurried steps in the direction he came, another clap of thunder making his kitty flinch.

He continued onward, the brush and trees around him eventually thinning out until he could make out the church, the lights in their bedroom on. Surprisingly to himself, his heart dropped into his stomach.

 _Are they not even worried about me...?_

He contemplated turning right back around, stopping in his tracks, but when ESP Kitty looked up at him to see what he was doing, he realized the main reason he was going home in the first place. He kept going until he was pushing through the branches of the trees that blocked the side door. Ichi pulled out one of the bricks of the building with a free hand, revealing the key, and unlocked the door, replacing the brick. It creaked as he shut it, walking blindly in the darkness.

He could see the glisten of the mirror Totty was so afraid of in his peripherals. He couldn't see anything else, though, not even his reflection; the room was so dark, he had to guess where it curved and kept his fingers crossed that he didn't hit the wall.

He heard voices far away.

"Ichimatsu?" A deep familiar voice yelled out. He didn't answer. He just kept going.

 _At least they won't be able to tell that I was crying with the rain all over me._

A peculiar tapping noise came from next to him. It was probably just a bird outside. Keep going.

He heard the sound of shards of glass shifting and scraping under his sandals against the rough floor from where Todomatsu had dropped Kara's mirror. Keep going.

Orange light appeared at the end of the hallway where the courtyard was. Three bright flames flickered on a row of candles. A pink dress was in its space, next to a black uniform. Yellow light suddenly overrode those candles, a large pair of wings hovering above a skinny body, almost brushing against the ceiling.

"I'm fine." Ichimatsu called out, addressing the concern on their faces. "It started raining, so I turned around." He was nearly in front of them now. The tapping noises subsided.

"Nii-san, you're all dusty!" Todomatsu noted, Kara rolling up his sleeves next to him.

"I fell." Ichi lied as Kara tried to brush it off, rubbing his hands together every once and a while to clean them of the dirt.

"Are you alright, at least?" The biggest brother asked, fixing Ichi's veil. "Where's your sick mask?"

"It broke." He fixed his hold on ESP Kitty. "I'm fine."

"Nii-san, your face!" Jyushimatsu reached out, running a thumb over the cat scratch that lingered on his stubbly cheek. Ichi flinched at the sudden sting, and his little brother withdrew his hand guiltily.

"Yeah. He just got upset at the rain, that's all." ESP Kitty jumped down, mewing as he followed the candles that Todo had already lined the hallways with.

Kara and Todo went to wash their brother's uniform of the dirt while Jyushi brought him into the courtyard, sitting him in the basin under the brass cross. He sat too, his yellow dress pooling around him as it rippled peacefully in the water, and he dipped his hands in, holding them out. Reaching out, the angel cupped his brother's face as the water ran down, the scratch bubbling the infection away. The skin repaired itself with another scoop of blessed water and Jyushimatsu smiled, looking for any trace of happiness in his older brother's face. When a tired grin flickered on his face, Jyushi whooped, his laughter a soothing medicine for the older boy like it always had been. Sadness still lingered, but it was a bit less painful.

"How was your walk?" Jyushimatsu asked, feathers from his wings breaking loose from the slow ripples and floating in the water.

"It was nice until it started raining."

"I thought you were used to rain because you would go outside every night to feed the kitties?"

"I am, but with that heavy tunic, it was kind of weighing me down."

"Ohhhhhh..."

"Yep."

Gentle silence filled the room, save for the splashing of the fountain. Ichi watched his little brother as his eyes would dart from one section of the water to the next. A question churned on the tip of his tongue.

"...Jyushimatsu?"

"Hai!"

"Are you afraid of water?"

The words hung in the air for a second as Jyushi's brown eyes stared into nothingness like they did whenever he was thinking about something. Finally, he looked at his brother, a smile wide on his face.

"Nope!" He decided, grasping his toes, "It was my fault. I shouldn't have been in the ocean."

Ichi nodded at his answer, but he still had another question.

"Jyushimatsu."

"Hai!"

"What did it feel like when you drowned?"

"Ah..." Jyushi exhaled, unsure of what to say. "Um..."

"It's alright if you don't want to answer."

"No, no, I do! I just..." He scratched his head. "I don't think I really paid attention to what it felt like. I was just focused on being scared because I realized what was happening."

"Oh, I see."

"If anything, I think... I think I felt like I had stuck my face in front of a bonfire and breathed in as deep as I could...? But it only felt like that for a second. I could feel myself fight for air, but once the fire went away, I felt like I was floating in space. It felt nice." Jyushi sheepishly tugged at his halo, averting his eyes from his brother, who watched interestedly. "Then I couldn't see anymore. That was when I died."

The silence was awkward now. Ichi absorbed everything that was said and nodded, slapping a hand on his little brother's shoulder.

"I'm sorry that happened."

"It's okay, nii-san." Gradually, his smile returned to his face. "After all, I'm here with you guys again, right?" He started to laugh.

Ichi chuckled with him, crooking the corner of his mouth.

"Right."


	6. Goddess of the Lake

Just like breathing fire. Quick and virtually painless, and then he would be at peace. Just make it through the fire.

His sandals dragged against the ground. It was still wet from the night before. His sweatpants were baggy on him, making him truly realize how much weight he had lost once they stopped eating oden every night, and got caught under his feet a bunch of times. His hoodie's sleeves looked like Jyushimatsu's. It smelled of time after being packed away in a box in a spare room.

Just like breathing fire.

He had spent the whole day sitting in a corner - save for morning prayer, which he pressed himself to do so they wouldn't suspect anything - thinking about things. Kara and Todo had completely cleaned his habit of the dirt and dust and gave it back to him to wear. He put it on, but reluctantly. That short amount of time he spent in the woods the night before was enough to make him question everything they were doing.

The moon was full tonight. It watched over the boy with the downcast shoulders as he trudged, knees nearly locked as he dragged his feet.

It'll be fine.

He had waited until he knew everyone was asleep. Quietly taking off the habit and veil, he slipped back into his old clothes, welcoming nostalgia and all of the memories he had made in them. Sitting behind Kara and Todo, he watched them sleep in their futons for almost an hour before kissing his fingers and placing them on their foreheads, not wanting to wake them. Shakily, he stood and opened the door, but stopped when he felt fur rub against his legs.

"No, you can't come with me," Ichi nudged ESP Kitty away with his foot, who meowed impatiently and moved right back over. Ichi huffed.

"No. Stop." He pushed him away again, which the cat didn't like. He hissed, winding in between Ichi's legs and wrapping his tail around his leg. Ichi stamped his foot as hard as he could without making much noise, scaring the cat into running across the room.

"You can't come with me. I'm sorry," Ichi squatted down, tapping his middle and index to get the cat to come over again. He pet his fur, scratching behind his ears like he knew he liked.

"Take care of them for me, okay?" He whispered, voice growing strained at the thought of leaving them behind. But he had to. He couldn't live like this anymore. His cat meowed, unaware, and Ichi kissed the top of his head, shooing him away as he stood. ESP Kitty bounded over to Kara's head, wrapping his body around the top of his skull. Still asleep, Kara felt the sudden warmth and brought his hand up, nestling it into the cat's fur, mindlessly rustling it. The cat purred and closed its eyes. Ichi figured that was his cue to leave.

The wind wasn't as bitter as it was the night before. Maybe that was because his hoodie and sweatpants offered more warmth than the thin clothes he wore as a Sister. Tears of longingness of the company of his brothers collected in his eyes and fell as they overflowed the lids. He blinked them away, bringing the sleeve of his sweatshirt up to dry them. He couldn't stay.

Before he left, he opened the door to the courtyard, contemplating saying goodbye to Jyushi. The angel was lying on a dry spot on the floor that the fountain's water couldn't reach, back to the door and his wings wrapped around him like a blanket. Ichi wanted to approach him something terrible, but remembered how he was either a very light or very deep sleeper; there was no in between. There was also a good possibility that he wasn't even sleeping at all and was lying there with his eyes wide open, boring holes into the brick with his pupils, smile wide and mouth agape as always. If he was, he hadn't seemed to have heard Ichimatsu. He silently bid him farewell and shut the door.

Ichi put his hood up. Now that he was drawing closer, he could feel the chill of the water creep outwards, suffocating the night air around it. This was the same lake the three of them had spread Choromatsu's ashes on. The third brother's love for nature had stretched into his request to have them taken there. The other two deceased brothers hadn't even considered having their ashes taken somewhere (and Oso wasn't even cremated; he was buried); perhaps it was because the thought of dying didn't cross somebody's mind who wasn't even an adult yet? Choromatsu always was the most responsible. He had a will and everything (it didn't give the brothers much since there wasn't a whole lot Choro had, but it was generous anyway). It was leaving the lake after doing so that they had stumbled across the abandoned church and had realized that it might have the capability of saving them.

Finally he reached a clearing where the trees hid a rather large lake, the noise of the wildlife croaking and clicking and buzzing loudly where they all gathered. Lilypads and cattails riddled the water, waterlilies floating around, creating gentle ripples in the water as they moved. Ichimatsu sighed, hands shaking. This was it. There was no backing out now.

He had contemplated killing himself thrice before. Once about a year after Jyushi died where he lingered in the subway for hours on end, trying to swallow fear and gather the courage to throw himself in front of an incoming train. They had closed before he had gotten to do it.

A second time, he stood on a ledge of a rather high building on the other side of the fence, preparing himself to let go. Even just a slip of the hands could kill him. Freeing one hand, he was suddenly overcome with immense fear and had second thoughts. Nervously, he put one leg back over the fence and collapsed on the other side, weak with terror.

The third time had been after they had moved into the church and was the first time he attempted to commit suicide. Finding a bottle of pills in the things that they had packed, he swallowed a handful and hoped that it had been enough. It hadn't.

But drowning... drowning seemed like it was easy enough. Just breathe in fire for a split second and it would be done.

The small dock creaked as Ichi stepped onto it. Pillars of wood where boats could be tied onto that hadn't been used in years wobbled unsteadily as he walked, the boards weak in the center. He could fall through any time, but that would just make it easier and not give him any time to contemplate, just act.

The pit of his stomach churned with the realization that technically it would bring the Matsuno family count to two. Was there some kind of sick curse on them that made them drop like flies? How much longer would it be before just one brother was left? Ichi reached the end of the dock and carefully got onto his knees, peering at his reflection that shone on the surface of the murky water. He knew that if either brother was the final one to live, he wouldn't do well in the world. Kara would become engulfed in overwhelming loneliness and would feel invalid without someone to care for. Todo was too scared of the world as it was; if he had to make it through alone, it would swallow him in one bite and spit out the bones.

Yet Ichi still stared at himself, tears falling off of his cheeks and dripping into the lake, lilypads and water lilies moving away from his reflection when the ripples of the droplets carried them. Ichi laughed harshly at the irony.

 _I know, I'm just that appalling, right? I'm a mess. Nobody ever wanted to be around me or become friends with me. Moving away from me... that's nothing I'm not used to._

Frogs and fishes swimming underwater moved the surface a great deal, the lilypads moving even quicker now, the water undulating even bigger than it had been before. At least once he sank to the bottom, they'd be able to eat for a really long time.

He drew out a long sigh. It was time.

Lifting one hand off of the dock, he held it in the air, gathering the courage to bring the other hand up too. Gradually, he brought his left hand up too, struggling to keep his balance on the unsteady dock on just his knees. He leant in closer to the water. His reflection was even closer now.

Don't back out. It'll only hurt for a second. Then you'll be free.

He stared at himself still. He felt an invisible rope around his waist, trying to pull him back.

See? You're hesitating again. You'll never get anywhere if you do that. Just dive forward.

Ichi still stared. He shifted one leg back, deeper into the dock. He was scared.

If your fucking little brother could drown, then you can do it too.

His leg returned to where it was before. A lump was in his throat that he couldn't swallow.

He heard animals jumping out of the water behind him, but he didn't turn around. They didn't concern him. They were moving the surface an awful lot though, blurring his reflection until it was unrecognizable. Shakily, Ichimatsu brought one of his hands up again, keeping his eyes locked on the mangled mirror of himself as the water grew more violent. After lifting his other hand up again, he closed his eyes. Maybe if he didn't look it wouldn't be so bad.

Suddenly, he felt a slimy, itchy rope wrap around his right hand and quickly pull his wrist into the splintery wood of the dock. Ichi's eyes shot open and he snapped his neck to his right. Wet vines crept up the pillars next to him like snakes, winding forward and securing his ankles as well. Feeling another vine twist around his left wrist and tear it down too, he frantically looked around for a source.

When he couldn't see where it was coming from, he realized he might actually die at the hands of something else. Courage rose up his throat like bile and he threw himself forward, struggling against the tight vines, trying to break free and fall forward. In the undulating reflection, he saw a face behind him that looked like one of his brothers. He whipped his head around, burning with shame that they had to see him like this. His heart fell in relief when he saw that nobody was there. He must've just been seeing things.

Turning back around, the water in front of him grew even harsher as a body rose up above the surface. Ichimatsu struggled against the ropes the best he could, trying to move back in fear. They weren't going anywhere and kept him bogged down.

In front of him rose a person whose nose was towards the sky, arms comfortably away from his sides as the vines that were caught around his body trapped them from moving any further out. He wore bracelets of leaves and a crown of the same plant on his head, wet, black hair dripping buckets and glistening in the light of the moon. A plain white toga-like dress was weighed down by the water, the bottom of it floating around him in the muddy water. Bringing his head down to look at Ichimatsu was a man who looked an awful lot like he did.

"You know, Ichimatsu," the man clicked his tongue disappointedly, "I had my fingers crossed that we'd meet again on grounds lighter than this."

"Choromatsu?" Ichi inspected the hell out of him, trying to see if it really was him. Then again, how many other people looked exactly like him? He ruled Osomatsu out, since Oso would never talk in complicated sentences.

Choromatsu nodded once with a neutral expression, wringing his hands in front of him. "This is my lake. I live at the bottom."

Ichi felt tears coming again and now there was no possible way to wipe them. He glowered embarrassingly. How many times had he let himself cry in the past week?

"I've missed you, Ichi! That's why I'm upset about the reason that you're here."

Yep. There they were. Now he was blubbering like a baby.

Choromatsu was standing on top of the water, Ichi realized because he was hanging his head, not wanting to look at him. Two undead brothers in one week was a lot to take in. It was surreal.

"Don't cry," Choro leant forward and brought a peculiarly dry hand under his brother's eyes, wiping them. "I've been here the whole time. You guys just didn't know about it."

Ichi didn't say anything for a while. He was just busy taking in everything that was going on between his thwarted suicide attempt and seeing his dead older brother in front of him. If he wasn't so upset and humiliated that one of his siblings had seen him at such a weak point, it would've been like his reunion with Jyushimatsu.

"I missed you too..." He finally managed to say. He could hear Choromatsu blow out air, the small smile on his face audible. Ichi's remoteness still remained after all those years.

"Now Ichimatsu, what's driven you to want to take your own life?"

The purple boy lifted his head, bangs hanging lazily in different directions. He tried to avoid the watchful eyes of his older brother, but that was nearly impossible. "I don't want to talk about it, Choromatsu."

Choro crossed his arms. "Ichimatsu, please?"

Ichi glanced up and saw that familiar frog mouth of his shaped into a frown. Although it was a rather serious situation, Ichi couldn't help but break into a laugh.

"...What?"

"Sorry. I just thought of something funny." Ichi cleared his throat, looking his brother's weird attire up and down. "Can we just leave my dilemma alone and go over how you're in front of me right now?"

Choromatsu blew out a sigh and shrugged, shaking his head. "If it's what you want and can keep you at bay for the time being, then I suppose we can.

"So. I'm super happy you guys spread my ashes over the lake like I wanted! I actually didn't think you'd do it, but you did. My spirit lingered here for a while, but I couldn't do anything because I didn't have a vessel." Choromatsu scratched his head. "But eventually, I opened my eyes one day and found myself consumed by this strange white light. I was given a choice: I could ascend to heaven and remain dead, or have a chance to live again as a goddess." Choromatsu adjusted his crown with a grin. "Now, obviously, that sounded pretty nice to me. So I took the deal. I didn't know that meant that I'm going to be chained to this lake until the end of eternity."

Ichimatsu raised an eyebrow. His heartrate was much calmer now and he no longer craved the water in his lungs. Bless Choromatsu. "Chained?"

His older brother lifted a leg as high as he could out of the lake, providing a clear view of similar shackles of leaves and vines around his ankles that he kept Ichimatsu anchored to the dock with. "They can only go so far. I've tried to leave to come and see you guys, but the most I can manage is a couple of feet onto the bank; that's only if I crawl and dig my nails into the dirt."

Ichimatsu squished his lips onto one side of his face in sympathetic disappointment. "That kinda sucks."

"Yeah. But hey! Watch this!" Like a child, a Jyushimatsu-esque smile spread across his face as he flicked his right wrist upward, a spurt of water flying upwards with it. He watched his baby brother with excitement and sought his reaction as he kept flicking both wrists back and forth, waterspouts shooting next to him. Ichi looked entirely unimpressed (but Choromatsu secretly took this as a good sign that he was slowly starting to feel a little better).

"Nice. Pool tricks."

"Uh-They're not pool tricks!" Choromatsu snapped like he used to, crossing his arms in a pout. "I can do more than that, anyway! This lake is blessed. It's also some really potent stuff for anybody who's done some _real_ evil shit. Anybody who has sinned can come here and bathe in the water and they'll be cleansed.""

Ichimatsu yawned exhaustedly. "That's great, Choromatsu." He hadn't realized it, but Choro had slowly been withdrawing his vines back into the water, setting him loose. He laid his head on the dock, using his hands as a rest. "Do you like being a goddess?"

"It's nice!" Choromatsu blushed with contentedness, "Lots of plant life to see, especially at the bottom!" Realizing he was being a bit nerdy, he cleared his throat. "But, um, other than the plants, I get prayed to a lot. I spend a lot of my time granting prayers and sending angels to protect-"

"-Wait, send angels?"

Choromatsu was confused. "Ah... yes?"

"Did you send us Jyushimatsu?"

Choro's heart could be seen in his mouth. "Jyushimatsu is an angel?!"

"Wait, you didn't know?"

"No, I hadn't!" Choromatsu folded his hands in front of his chest, staring up at the sky. "Awe, I'm so proud of him! I knew he was in heaven, but I didn't know he had become an angel! He'd be a good angel. He's a ball of sunshine."

"Todomatsu had a panic attack the other day and got knocked out for hours. We left him in the courtyard during mass and when we came back Jyushimatsu was there taking care of him."

"During mass? You go to church?"

"We live in one. I'm a Sister and Kara's the priest. Todo's the main choirboy."

"Wow, really?" Choro brought a hand up to his chin. "I suppose there's a lot of catching up to do, then. Why do you live in a church?"

Ichi sat up, crossing his legs in his lap. "When all sorts of things come into play, we realized we either stay at home and starve, or move into a church and fix it up, run it, and provide a service that could help keep us alive."

A strange look wavered across Choromatsu's face as if he knew that his passing played a big part in their decision to move, but it left as quick as it came. "Oh, wow. Is it just you guys directing it all during the entirety of mass?"

"Of course not, we have plenty of Sisters that come in all the time to worship even once mass is done, and Todo leads an entire choir. The only time we're by ourselves is when we're in the back. People come in all the time to pray in peace, too."

"That's... unbelievable, actually." Choro cupped his hands above his heart and smiled wholeheartedly at his little brother. "Look at you NEETs being responsible people! What a milestone! I'm so proud!"

Ichi grumbled. He might as well have been pulling on his cheek like an old lady.

"Yeah, whatever."

Choro glanced up at the sky again, dropping his hands. His hair was nearly dry now, Ichi noted; how long had they been talking?!

"Ichi, you said you're a Sister?"

He didn't want to be, but for some reason, after talking to Choromatsu, it didn't sound that bad at the moment. "Yeah."

"It looks like the sun is going to be rising pretty soon. You should probably head back and get changed so you'll be able to do morning prayer!"

Ichi took note of the disappearing stars in the sky and its somewhat lighter shade of navy blue. "Oh, probably."

He stood up, brushing the wood splinters from the dock off of his sweatpants, slipping his feet back into his sandals. He looked up at his big brother, who had his arms crossed at him patiently and watched him with a smile.

 _He still hasn't realized I've set him free... Haha._

"Whenever you get the free time tomorrow, bring the others out to see me! I've been dying to see them!" Choro fixed his lopsided leaf crown. "And I still can't believe little Jyushi is an angel! Bring him with you too!"

Ichi gave him a wave and began to turn around, heading back to the shore. "I will, don't worry." He kept walking until he had just about reached the starting point of the trail he took. Stopping in his tracks, he glanced back at the lake. Choro was still where he was before, watching his little brother.

"Choromatsu?"

"Yes?"

"Promise me you won't tell them why I was here."

"I promise as long as you promise me that you won't try and do something that reckless again."

"I promise."

Ichi stood there for a second before going to turn back around. His voice was small.

"Nii-san, I'm glad you're here."

"I'm glad you found me. If you ever need to come and talk to me, I'll be more than happy to listen."

Choro made sure he stayed in the same place as he watched his brother make his way back into the woods up until he couldn't see him anymore. He blew out a sigh. Ichimatsu had always been a sensitive thing, even though he didn't show it and liked to convince everyone that he didn't have feelings and was okay with that. Luckily, the brothers all knew better than that but didn't address it much unless it was necessary. They just let him think that the walls he put up weren't completely see-through.

Deciding that he'd have a handful of hours before he got visitors, Choromatsu began to sink back into his lake, disappearing until bubbles were the only trace that he had been there at all.


	7. Coronation

Paper lanterns alight and in just about every open space in the inky night sky, chaos broke out in celebration. Multicolored flames were lit on pillars, lighting the scene with glimmering spectrums of cobalt, cherry, and emerald. Demons danced under torii, drinks pouring and food plentiful; the festivity showed no signs of stopping. The new Queen found herself right in the middle of it all, cheering out triumphantly at the mess, enjoying the discord that rang out in celebration of their marriage; the new reign of Hell.

But it was _loud_. Uncomfortably loud. And she had more than enough drinks to be a bit past buzzed.

Wandering away from all the noise, her head aching, Totoko found Osomatsu overlooking everything. He was watching the celebration over a balcony, focused intensely.

"Hey," she slung her arms against the railing too, looking up at him, "That's some scary shit, ain't it?"

Osomatsu's concentration broke after a minute. "You think it's scary?" He brought a thumb up and pressed it against the back of one of his canines, the freshly-sharpened teeth sore. "I don't think it's scary."

"Then again, I guess you spent half of your life like this, right?" Oso looked over at her. "Because you were raised as the prince?"

He shrugged. "I mean, I guess. There usually aren't festivals like this, though; it's just crime and chaos and bad stuff happening. But they worship their monarchy like it's the only thing left they can do."

Leathery red wings twitched as he leant forward. "Like, the fact that I'm King of Hell? They're eating that up. They remember me as that terrified little boy with the bullet in my head that bled everywhere all the time and was constantly screaming and wailing that I wanted to go home. I've grown up a lot, I think, and they think so too." He ran a finger under his nose.

Totoko let out a whoop. "Hell's sweetheart."

The two of them laughed at this, Totoko adjusting the grip on her drink so she didn't drop it.

"Ugh," she remarked, tilting the blood-red wine it as if inspecting it, "I didn't even want this. They just keep refilling it the moment they see it goes empty and I'm too new to be confident enough to tell them no."

"Tell them no," Oso interjected, glancing over at her, "You're their Queen. If you told them you didn't want another drink, but wanted them to slaughter each other until only one of them was left, they would do it- no questions asked."

Totoko ignored the odd statement and cleared her throat, watching everything unfold below them. On the first night she spent in Hell, Oso excitedly informed her on the basics of how things worked on the other side. Mirrors acted as windows to the world where mortals lived, but demons couldn't break the glass to get through unless they were given the privilege of learning how to do so. Only divine beings were allowed to do that, which meant Osomatsu would eventually be the only one. Earning his horns would be the starting point that would enable him to begin gathering the strength and power to break it.

Whenever you looked into a mirror, you were staring into Hell. Though the reflection of whatever you were looking at was just an illusion. Created to prevent suspicion of the demons' presences, just shortly out of the view of the mirror on the other side was a warped version of the real world that never saw a single sunrise, deemed crime legal and encouraged it, and performed mildly concerning rituals nearly all the time. Turns out, Oso was wrong, and the wedding of a _nobody_ could be forged; somebody as noble and praised as a prince was necessary to be wed publicly. He claimed he didn't know this either, but Totoko absolutely remembered what a sly shit he was. She was proud of herself for only threatening to kill him a handful of times instead of by the minute.

At that point, though, Totoko honestly didn't care. She was already being showered with gifts and could have anything she wanted with a snap of her fingers. (It didn't really bother her that he very likely lied to her to get her through the mirror. Like, at all. He got freebies because he'd been dead for 15 years and she had admittedly missed his company.) The money and gifts she drowned in were just the same.

But, now that it was all said and done, all that was left was to celebrate a new reign of Hell, a young King and Queen set to be on the throne for a while.

The King leant back from the rail, crossing his arms. "I think I'm gonna go back down. Are you coming with me?"

Totoko's temples pulsed grievously. Still, she chose to ignore it, and tilted her wine glass over the rail, emptying its contents out onto the pavement below. A fat, red stain blossomed.

"Sure."

She followed him closely down a winding staircase, through the thick crowds that already flooded the hallways of the palace, people whom she had never met before reaching out and trying to grab her, long nails clawing gently. Frightened, Totoko gripped the back of Oso's shirt between his wings with white knuckles, leaving him nearly no room at all. He turned his head, puzzled.

"Osomatsu, they keep trying to latch onto me!" Totoko cried, eyes flicking from one demon to another, unsymmetrical faces covered in spikes and scales and blood peering back at her, still attempting to grasp the fabric of her kimono. She let out a yelp, shoving her face into Oso's back, causing him to stop. "Oso-kun, I'm scared!"

"There's nothing to be scared of," He calmly reassured her, stepping away, but leaving a hand on her shoulder. "They wouldn't hurt you- they wouldn't dare."

Totoko lifted her head from her hands as she looked over to him, then at the demons that inched closer.

"You're new around here. This is the first time they've seen you up close. They're just curious about you, that's all."

"By trying to _grab me?!_ "

"Just your arms. Plus, they wouldn't really 'grab' you anyway; just place a hand on your shoulder or something." Although he saw nothing wrong with it, Osomatsu picked up on how frightened Totoko was and finally realized that he should probably do something. He tried to put on an act, throwing his fists onto his hips and stiffening his expression. He glared around the room at everyone, hoping it was convincing enough.

"However, who are they to automatically assume they can just casually lay a finger on the Queen like that?" The demons began to step backwards, eyeing their King cautiously and shamefully. He scowled at them in warning, feeling proud of himself when he saw Totoko's muscles loosen in his peripherals.

"Come on," He for beckoned her to follow him, "They won't bother you like that any more."

Upon passing under the doorframe out into the festival, the headache that throbbed in Totoko's brain grew even worse, and the hand that wasn't occupied with an empty wineglass mindlessly shoved itself against the side of her skull. She winced in pain, tears pooling in the lids of her eyes, but not falling.

She glanced up to say something to Osomatsu about it, but was met by no one, the childlike man dispersed deep into the crowd already. Totoko blew out a sigh, rubbing her head as she continued into the courtyard, trying her best to enjoy the party that was going on for her. Truthfully, she just wanted sleep; and an Aspirin, maybe?

She felt wind on her side and lazily turned her head, met by a demon donned in a neat uniform, hastily whisking the glass out of her hands. Totoko's throat felt suddenly sore.

"Ah, n-no," she mumbled, holding out a hand at the demon, who hadn't seemed to hear her small voice, "I don't want any more."

"I'm sorry, your majesty?" The demon leant in closer, pausing the pouring.

"I said I don't want any." Totoko ran a hand through her fringe, trying to find the confidence she boasted on the other side of the mirror. "I don't want any more wine for the rest of the night." Scoffing, she added (hesitantly), "And if somebody else tries to give me wine for the rest of the night, I'll have their head." Her voice squeaked. "Got it...?"

The demon tried to mask their fear, but were terrible at it. They nodded once, expression serious. "Absolutely, your highness. I'll make sure of it." And with that, they turned precipitously and dissolved into the sea of bodies.

Totoko almost felt bad, but at the same time, butterflies tickled the lining of her stomach at the power she had. These people truly _were_ at her feet, weren't they?

She caught a flash of blue in front of her and shifted her gaze, Osomatsu's suit bright compared to the darker shades that everybody else wore. He came towards her, saying something as he was approaching.

Totoko squinted. "What?"

Finally in front of her, Osomatsu grabbed Totoko's hand, pulling her closer so he could hear her better. "Totoko-chan!"

She stumbled forward at his pull, leaning in. "Huh?" The noise was hurting her ears and she hardly had gotten any sleep in the precursory days in preparation for the wedding and her migraine was getting even worse.

"Are you ready?" The teeth buried in Osomatsu's coy smirk twinkled in a pretty off-white from the flames and light surrounding them. Demons began to pay more attention to them, stopping what they were doing to gaze into their direction. Totoko grew confused.

"Ready?"

"Yeah!"

"For what?"

"To get your horns too!"

Totoko nearly choked, her eyes bugged and her hand torn away from his. Demons were closing in on them again. "My _what?!_ H-Huh?"

Oso laughed as if nothing was wrong, rubbing under his nose. His new arrowed tail flicked around behind him playfully as if it was just a bit of fun. "You didn't think you'd get to be the Queen of Hell without getting some of your own, did you?"

Totoko's face flushed ghostly pale. The party around her began to quiet for a second, all of Hell's inhabitants closing in around the two of them, watching them intensely. Suddenly, everyone burst into chaos again, rearranging themselves. Oso took his friend's hand in his and tugged her through the mess to the beginning of a row of torii gates. The music of the shamisen, taiko, and shakuhachi began to shift, the noise growing rather aggressive and resonant, the pounding of the drum vibrating Totoko's insides. She dug her fingernails deeply into the back of Oso's hand, breaking the skin. He sheepishly ripped it away, rubbing it.

"What was that for?" He whined, licking the wound. The already-pulsing vein on Totoko's temple nearly burst.

"What do you _mean,_ 'what was that for'?" She hissed through her teeth, the demons around them nearly finished rushing around. Down the long path of torii, flames on pillars were lit, leading all the way up to a platform that was surrounded by even more pillars. The beat of the taiko grew steady and low now, and the demons around them grew silent, hands at their sides and their eyes glued to their King. A pang hit Totoko's stomach and blood rushed to her joints. There was no backing out of this now, was there?

"It'll be fine, Totoko-chan!" Osomatsu's lighthearted demeanor shone through even the darkness of Hell and the situation itself, rubbing his nose. "Just wait until I give you the okay to walk up to me, alright? I'll let you know. Stay here."

Poor Totoko could do nothing but watch as her childhood friend spun on his heel, hands behind his back - which was now to her - as his wings twitched in anticipation and his tail snapped around his legs. Lifting his chin, she heard a voice; a choice of words; that came out of his mouth that didn't sound anything like him at all.

"Humans, once they die, must bow before two divine beings to determine their fates, no?"

Demons fixated themselves on their King, who began to slink along under the torii, fingertip swirling on the peak of one of his horns. Totoko watched too, the wine in her stomach not sitting very well.

"They'll bow before me and they'll bow before God. They live in a world where religion rules their lives, yet they find themselves questioning whether or not I am actually here, preaching - in a way - to my subjects, about their poor, miserable existences."

A grin spread across his face, one of his fangs catching on his lower lip. He continued on, lolling his head as he closed his eyes comfortably.

"They have nothing to worry about. I am very much real! They spend their whole lives trying to fend me off and get on good terms with _God_ ," he scoffed, but returned, "That way they never meet me. But they'll have to meet me anyway. Their efforts are in vain."

The blue flames experienced an upsurge and leapt towards him, the flickering light creating an uncomfortable flash and color contrast on his wet bullet wound that had never healed.

"And _when_ they kneel before God and I, I must be the one to reach within them to rip out their miserable, useless heart now that its ticked its last tock, because God is too clean to want to get His hands a little bloody."

He stopped, throwing out his arms in a frozen shrug. "But you all already know this, right?"

A chorus of yokai screamed out at him in response, causing a smirk to inch across his pink face.

"Right, right, of course you do," Osomatsu humored them, growing further and further away from Totoko and closer to the platform at the end of the gates, "Well, once we've weighed their heart of their evil and their good, we decide who gets to take them. If your heart's heavy, you're mine, correct?"

The chorus yelled out again. Osomatsu was nearly to the steps. The fire danced on his skin.

"And I suppose you all remember when the King before me weighed your hearts and decided you would be who you are right now?"

Totoko's skin grew goosebumps. She didn't like this. Her headache worsened even more.

"I was a prince. I've been coronated today. With my coronation comes new advantages and opportunities."

Oso set one foot onto a step. His heel clicked quietly.

"I want to break the mirror. This small, closet's-worth of a world isn't enough for us."

Another step.

"And I'm going to do it. I'm going to learn how."

He was onto the platform now, the fire pillars of blue fading to red and swallowing his body into crimson. He walked to the center, crossing his arms.

"But while I'm on the other side of the mirror, busy taking over things, you'll need someone to rule over Hell until things are good to cross you over."

Totoko's stomach turned betrayingly. Was that all she was, was a babysitter? She could have the world and more, just as long as she could babysit his subjects for a little while? Is that what he wanted her for?

Osomatsu stretched out an arm towards the direction he had just walked from, fingertips flattened in acknowledgement of her.

"I married today and received my horns, granting me the starting wisdom to discovering how to break the mirror. However, we can't just have some mortal watching over Hell, can we?"

His question was met by silence. The tips of Totoko's ears were red with bubbling hatred.

"My Queen, come here."

Though she didn't want to, Totoko began to approach him, trudging under the torii as innumerable demons watched. If the two of them were alone, she would've been letting him have it for sure; probably would've kicked his ass. But she feared these people. She feared them more than she feared Osomatsu, who was the same as he always was but eerily different in an way that was unable to be placed.

The flames were blinding her, but she kept going. Everyone stirred in the odd silence. Osomatsu tried to break it.

"She's a beauty, is she not?"

The chorus rang out. Strangely enough, instead of feeling flattered like she would have at home, Totoko felt objectified. She didn't feel like a real person here more than she did a decorative doll. Even under the heavy plumes of color, her skin was porcelain white from the makeup they smothered her with. She knew very well she was a beauty; nobody had to tell her, especially creepy-ass demons that were undeniably terrible people in life. Why else were they there?

Finally, she reached who was technically her husband, but didn't think of him as anything more than her old best friend, who took her hand in his. He guided her next to him, and she followed his lead as he turned to face her.

She found it much easier to stare into the depths of his gory bullet hole rather than the pools of his eyes.

"I'm going to give you horns like myself. You'll also have a tail and wings, too, but that goes without saying." Osomatsu ran a thumb along the top of Totoko's skull, which was almost ghostly, feeling for appendages that weren't there yet. Under him, Totoko fumed, the blood on her cheeks starting to show even under the caked makeup she was doused in.

"Matsuno Osomatsu, you said nothing about this when you were in my bedroom," Totoko's voice was a low rumble, trying to make sure her aggression was known without cueing in on it to the demons around her. The man looked her over for a second before speaking, surprisingly calm.

"...I didn't. I know. And I'm sorry. But just imagine what you'll be able to do once you have these." Osomatsu shifted his hand from the top of her head down to the crown, twisting one of the brunette hairs around his long, sharp fingers.

"You won't be able to break the mirror, unfortunately, but you'll have magic literally at your fingertips. So many abilities you couldn't possibly have on the other side you'll have for the rest of your life." A dark grin reminiscent of what Totoko remembered Ichimatsu wore at times washed over his face. "Which, once this ritual is performed, will be until you're killed."

Okay, magical powers _did_ sound pretty nice. (Secretly, ever since she was little, she had been waiting for her magical compact to fall from the sky so she could begin her role as a magical girl.) But magical powers or not, she was still furious with him. The plebeians of Hell just watched their royalty stand on the platform, skin warm with the heat of the flames, staring each other stiffly in the face. The Queen puffed her cheeks a little, wanting nothing more than to go back home. Inheriting a fish market and never finding love ever sounded a little better than this, she realized.

But there was no going home. She was stuck here.

"It'll be fine," Osomatsu repeated, cupping her face in his hands. She felt the pointed tips of his claws brush against her jawbone.

"Are you ready?"

"Just do the fucking ritual." Totoko seethed. Getting the hint, Osomatsu looked her in the eye, face still in his hands. The flames around them grew heavier, drenching them in red and bouncing off of the wet of their eyeballs. It grew hard to see Osomatsu through the greatening color, Totoko realized, or was that supposed to be happening?

She felt the gentle poke of his nails on her chin grow from sweet to increasingly vexatious, skin breaking as blood trickled out of new pinprick wounds he was inflicting. The tendons in Totoko's knees turned to jello as she hovered her hands over his, resisting the urge to tear them off. Her cheeks squished closer and closer together the harder he dug his claws into her face, the makeup rubbing off onto his skin as he dragged them down, creating thick scratches. Totoko winced in pain.

"Hell sees a new Queen, who stands before me and spills her blood for you already," She heard Osomatsu say through the thick red, and he took his hands away, softly taking her wrist and guiding her further onto the platform, in front of a single pillar of blue. She could see him clearer now, the contrast in color of the outside flames and the blue hurting her eyes, but being able to see him in the storm of maroon brought her back onto the ground, even by just a little bit.

"The spilling of her blood symbolizes her dedication to you." Oso held his hands above the flame, the stuff that wasn't caked under his claws or dyed pink after mixing with the white base he had scratched off.

He lifted his elbow and held his hand at a downward angle above the fire, blood slowly running to collect at the tips of his fingers. "Upon making contact with this flame, she is forever sworn to you and can then be engulfed in the magic that will provide her an appearance similar to mine."

Totoko watched in both awe at the ceremony and in terror as her warm blood dripped off of his hands into the fire, which hissed and sizzled at the sudden liquid smothering minute sections of its flames. Osomatsu, hands still bloody, walked over onto the other side of the pillar next to her, the taiko rumbling even deeper. Instinctively, Totoko took a step backwards.

"It'll be alright. You're almost done. Come here."

"No," Totoko shook, the blood on her face trickling down her neck and collecting on the fabric of her kimono. She took another step backwards.

"Totoko-chan."

"Don't call me that. Only a handful of people can call me that, and you're not one of them. You're not Osomatsu. I don't know who you are, but you're scaring me, and I want to go home."

"You're just tired. I'm the same Osomatsu I always was, we're just in a bit of a serious situation right now. That's why I seem different." Demons all leant in between the torii, glancing up further at their monarchy, confused as to why the ritual was paused. Oso grew quiet. "Just a little longer and this'll be over with. Won't you do this for me?"

A childlike plea in his voice made Totoko lift her head, searching his face. He didn't look as old as he was, but didn't look like he had when he was ten, either. He just looked younger, but the bullet grabbed her attention more, staring into her soul as if it were the eyes of God. In the back of her skull, she heard Karamatsu banging on her family's door in the mid-afternoon, his voice like lead. She heard the five of them collapsing on her porch, knees instantly bruising on the wood, hearts weighed down with agony. She heard the six of them hanging onto one another and sobbing at his funeral. All because of that single slug, a family experienced unbearable pain.

Totoko realized that his brothers would do anything to have Osomatsu in front of them like she did. She had the privilege of reuniting with him. And she was whining about going home.

Maybe the horns wouldn't be so bad. She supposed that he already tore his claws down her face, so the horns probably wouldn't hurt much worse.

Totoko answered his question a little late, but at least she answered it. Taking his hand and closing her eyes, she felt him pull his away and place them on top of her hair.

He splayed his fingers as far as he could, raising his palms but leaving the tips of his nails connected to her scalp. Suddenly, Totoko was overcome with a flash of heat, her eyes jolting open. Borrowing the flame next to him, Osomatsu's hands were engulfed with the azure fire, still touching the top of Totoko's head. As he lifted them upwards, she was met with a searing pain, letting out a yelp, but found she was unable to move her arms from her sides. As her best friend spoke quietly in tongues, she felt keratin roughly force itself through the skin of her scalp, a burning shooting across her head and spreading down to behind her ears. She forced her eyes shut; her teeth clamped down, the clacking of the enamel spiking the nerves and sending the signals up to her headache, which didn't seem like much of a problem anymore.

She felt the pain shift from her scalp to her spine, pulsing and shooting from her tailbone up to her shoulder blades, where the feeling rippled off deep into her back. She could hear him continue to calmly speak in tongues as she convulsed in misery, squeezing her eyes closed as sweat poured down her face from the unbearable fever she felt, wondering what the fuck made her accept his invitation to come to Hell with him. Greed wasn't always such a good thing, was it? This pain was enough to make her nearly black out.

After a minute, the temperature began to slowly decrease and the pumps she felt up her spine subsided. She opened one eye, the sweat that collected on her lids making them sting. She realized she had the ability to move her arms again and brought a shaking arm up to wipe her eyes clean with her thumb. In front of her was a grinning Osomatsu, who took a step backwards and whirled around - holding a hand out to the side in her direction - to face the kingdom of Hell, who let out roars of approval.

Totoko's makeup had gone to complete shit, but nobody cared about that anymore. Her top gums ached terribly. In the midst of the cheering and booming of the yokai, she shifted her eyes down between her nose, trying to see inside her mouth. Carefully, she slid a thumb over one of her top canines, the now overgrown and sharp teeth sore to the touch. She recoiled with an intake of breath. She felt a heaviness on her back and the skin between her blades pulling outwards. A hand that was so numb it felt like a phantom limb was brought up to the top of her head, where she was able to barely feel rough horns, the pointed feeling of the apex remaining on her fingertips even as she pulled them away. She was robbed of her voice in disbelief.

Though she couldn't see it, the smile in Osomatsu's voice was audible.

"Inhabitants of Hell, your Queen."


	8. Timeless

Jyushimatsu's legs dangled into the lake water, kicking contently as his fingers threaded through his older brother's hair. Giggles escaped his lips.

Choromatsu knelt on top of the water in front of him, letting his brother braid small sections of his hair and undo them, twisting the strands in his fingers or tying them into a bow. All of the others had already seen Choromatsu that morning but had to return to the church for morning mass. Since Jyushi didn't have to be there, he stayed behind, enjoying one-on-one time with another one of his brothers that he hadn't seen in a really long time.

"I missed you, nii-san!" Jyushi yelled for nearly the fiftieth time.

Choromatsu laughed. "I missed you too, Jyushimatsu." He replied, never growing tired of it once.

"I love you!"

"I love you too."

The cool water felt nice on Choromatsu's knees and the feeling of Jyushi's fingers combing through his hair was soothing enough to bring him to close his eyes. He felt his koi impatiently brush up against his shins, their scales slippery and smooth against his skin. They would have to wait for his attention, though; he had other things he was busy with.

His dress pooled comfortably around him. His leaf crown sat in his lap, since he didn't want it to get in the way of Jyushimatsu's tending to his hair. The leaves around his wrists were growing itchy since they weren't free floating underwater like they usually were, but he just nonchalantly scritched under one of them every once and awhile, not wanting to remove them.

"Jyushimatsu?"

"Hai!"

"You were sent down from heaven."

Jyushi waited for Choro to add something else, but when he didn't, he chirped out a "yes!"

"Why were you sent?"

Choromatsu felt the careful fingers slide out of his hair, combing through as they were taken out. "Well, nii-san, wouldn't you know? You're close with God."

The froggish boy turned his head, shoulders slumped a bit from being so relaxed. "Yes, yes, I know..." He thought about being appointed to answering prayers in his little lake, but the thought of being trapped there secretly killed him inside. He shoved that negativity away as he stared into the sky, watching the clouds slowly shift across the canvas of blue.

"So... you _do_ know why I was sent?"

"Oh! Sorry, Jyushi, I lost my train of thought. I don't." He completely turned himself to look at his little brother, whose legs were still and his wings slowly moved back and forth, feathers catching the light of the sun and glowing gold in sections. His mouth hung open as he listened. "Since I'm preoccupied here receiving prayers, I haven't gotten to speak to Him in a while."

"Oh, I see..." Jyushimatsu nodded, hand on his chin and irises thick in thought. "Well, I was just a regular angel for a really long time. But then I was brought into this room where they sat me down and they told me that my family wasn't doing too good."

Choromatsu nodded in acknowledgment, feeling an instantaneous throb in his stomach.

"Which was weird, because I was just looking at them the other day and Totty was laughing with Karamatsu and Ichimatsu was feeding his strays like he always did? They seemed fine." The angel shrugged his shoulders that were speckled with freckles. "But they said if somebody wasn't sent down to watch over them, then another one of them was going to pass away. I didn't want that to happen."

"Right, of course," Choro clicked his tongue in understanding.

"I don't know why. They were fine. But I saw you die, Choromatsu, and I didn't want it to happen again." His voice was steel. "So here I am!"

The goddess shivered quietly at the fact that even though the yellow boy wasn't there, he was a witness to the weakest point in his life; lying helplessly on the futon, heart giving out, left unable to speak or react as his brothers threw themselves over his body. He scratched the back of his neck, trying to shake the memory. "How long have you been here, Jyushimatsu?"

"About a week."

"Ah. What have you been doing, exactly?"

Jyushimatsu's perkiness seemed to be returning. "I like to sit on top of the fountain in the courtyard and sunbathe! The light feels good on my wings." His eyes smiled and he started kicking his legs again, the water splashing up and leaving droplets on Choro's dress.

The older man smiled at the younger's timeless childishness, placing his crown back on his head. "That sounds really nice, Jyushi, but have you actually been watching over them and 'guarding' them like you're supposed to be doing?"

The angel's hand was brought up to his chin again. "Uh... I don't think so. I guarded over Totty though when he was sick with delirium and a fever."

"Oh. Well, I think it might be a good idea to start keeping a better eye on them, okay?"

"Huh? Why?"

Choromatsu adjusted his bracelets. "That's why you were sent down here, right? To do a job?"

"Yep!"

"Shouldn't you be doing that job then?"

Jyushimatsu's face contorted like a scolded puppy's for a second and Choromatsu felt instantly bad.

"I-I'm not yelling at you!" Choro waved his hands outwards in reassurance, his face growing hot in guilt. "Just giving you a suggestion, as all."

"I know, nii-san!" Jyushi grinned. "I'll be a better angel. I'm still in training, so I've still got a couple of things to learn!"

Choro's face brightened with realization. How hadn't he noticed?

In heaven, most angels were never appointed of a higher position. However, those whose hearts had given off a vivid light of positivity and a desire to help others in life were given the opportunity to become seraphims. They had to complete daunting tasks to prove that they were worthy of the wings. The younger of the two wore a golden pin on his breast that was in the shape of a dove as a symbol of his pending status. Jyushimatsu was always a ray of sunshine; of _course_ he was training to be a seraph! Choro felt overjoyed.

"You hadn't told me that you were in training!" Choro balled his fists and held them above his shoulders, muppet-like mouth wide. Jyushimatsu laughed.

"Yep, yep! It's a good thing the others needed an angel when they did, because I need the experience!" He scratched the back of his head, reaching under the side of his halo. "I would much rather be assigned to them than to somebody I didn't know."

"Absolutely, I would be the same way."

There was silence for a moment, save for the noise of the sloshing water where frogs and fish jumped out and plunged back in. A lilypad floated over and bumped Choromatsu in the knee.

"Choromatsu nii-san?"

"Yes?"

"I wish Osomatsu was here too, so we could all be together again."

Choro nodded in melancholy, adjusting the fabric of his garment so his chest wasn't so exposed. "I do too, Jyushimatsu."

The brothers grew taciturn, minding to their surroundings as the one knelt on the water, the other leaving his ankles to dangle into the lake. Finally, Jyushimatsu lifted his head and pulled his legs up onto the dock, standing up with a grunt.

"Do you think morning mass is almost over?"

"Maybe. How long do you think it's been?"

"An hour at most?"

"Oh yeah, they're probably back there cleaning up and saying goodbye to the congregation."

"Oh!" Jyushimatsu's eyes bugged. "I should probably get back there, huh?!"

Choro was confused at the sudden emotion. "Wha-"

"-To guard them! To be their angel! Like I'm supposed to be!" He began to run up the dock, blood pumping with excitement at the athletic activity he had missed for so long. "I'll be back, nii-san!" He promised.

"Okay!" Choro called out after him, beaming at the familiar yelling that shook the birds from their perches at the top of their trees along the path as he furthered onward. _Hustle, hustle! Muscle, muscle!_

 _Some things never change, do they?_ Choromatsu chuckled at himself. _I hope Osomatsu's the same, wherever he wound up._

 _That means if he's not getting into trouble, something's wrong!_

He full-on laughed now, swiping a hand under his bangs to get them out of his eyes where they fell further down his face than they usually would from being soaked with water. He joked around, but he truly did hope that his oldest brother was doing okay.

He hoped that bullet wound hadn't dimmed his mischievous grin too much.


	9. An Unwanted Reunion

Totoko swirled around the drink in her glass, watching it ride the rim without spilling. Bored, she took a drink, watching the King meditate quietly in front of a shrine, her eyes half-lidded.

"Are you almost done?" She yawned, twisting a finger on the tip of one of her horns. Osomatsu turned his head to the side, peering at her.

"Nobody said you had to be here with me," He said matter-of-factly, facing the shrine again, reassuming his position. "You could just go off and do your own thing. Why don't you sing or something?"

"Uh- because! There's nothing to do here but drink and sit around! There's not even any shopping district here!" Totoko stomped her foot, her wine almost spilling. "There's only freaky ass demons that fawn over me like all of the NEET fans of mine used to do! They aren't even cute!" She let out a growl of frustration, throwing a hand into her hair. "And even if they _were,_ I'm married anyway, so it would be a doomed relationship! It could go nowhere!"

Osomatsu broke his posture, placing his palm on the cold marble tile behind him, twisting his spine. His lip twitched in annoyance at her complaining. "You know, there's lots of stuff you could do. I've managed to keep myself occupied for all these years. You probably haven't looked hard enough yet."

"Like _what,_ Osomatsu?!"

He thought hard, bringing a hand up to his chin and focusing on the floor. "I don't know... why don't you go through the records of all the yokai and see if you recognize somebody? It takes a little bit after people die for them to get their demon bodies. You'd be surprised how many people we knew have died since we were ten."

"What am I, your _secretary_?"

"No? Oh! You could go and find the Shinigami Salesman! Remember when I got really sick and you thought I died, and he tried to take my soul?" Osomatsu's finger ran under his nose with a grin. "Well, I mean, he got it a couple of months later, but that's besides the point. Ask him to see the candles; he'll show you. They're cool to watch."

Finally understanding that arguing would be futile, Totoko let out a grumble and stood up, the heels of her shoes clacking loudly on the tile as she left the room. She'd have thought that assuming a role as a Queen would be a lot more rewarding than it was. She sat around all day while her best friend went and prayed (prayed?! Satan _praying?_ Why?!) to some shrine of the ancient devil, gathering the knowledge and strength he needed to bust the mirror. Which Totoko thought was stupid anyway; he couldn't have possibly wanted to go to the other side and take it over; he wasn't evil enough for that! So why was he keeping up this act and actually putting the time and effort into learning how to do it? He could just stall and say that things weren't working, or he was preoccupied weighing hearts, or _something_! It was stupid.

Maybe if he had cut it out a couple weeks in or a couple months in, Totoko wouldn't be so finished. But no- he dragged it out for _years_ so far, leaving her to do nothing but twiddle her thumbs. Maybe if Hell wasn't so small and there were more pastimes other than performing freaky ass rituals, she wouldn't be so homesick. After all, wouldn't a childhood friend constantly being by her side be the epitome of home? He was different than he used to be, yes, but he was still Osomatsu. People grow up and change. That was to be expected.

Inside of the chamber, Oso could hear her huffing as she walked down the corridor. Face twitching in pique, he tried to concentrate on what he had been doing before. He breathed heavily through his nose.

Hell took some getting used to. He knew that firsthand.

...

The boy's ankles felt like they had been lit on fire, but he kept sprinting as long as his legs were able to carry him. The wind stung his eyes, leading him to hold his arm protectively in front of them and keep going. He heard yelling behind him. His lungs burned and he had a knot in the side of his stomach. He kept going.

" _The prince has escaped! The prince has escaped!_ " Panicked voices screamed out, his caregivers nearly in shambles as they ran around like headless chickens, unsure of where to look for him. The new prince tumbled deep into brush, briars digging into his skin, but he burrowed his way through anyway, tears smoldering his eyes whenever a thorn happened to prick and gouge into the tender wound on his forehead.

The deeper into the thicket he got, the clearer the exit appeared, and he forced himself to claw the whole way through, getting spurs under his fingernails. The yells were growing more distant much to his delight, but he still needed to find a better place to hide. He stumbled to his feet, rushing deeper into a dark spot on the edge of the main population, a forest of large, abandoned tubes laying around from when they must have never been installed underground. Breath sharp, the little boy raced over and squeezed inside one of the ones closer towards the opposite side of the bustle, pressing himself against the back wall where another heavy pipe was blocking the exit. He clamped his hands over his sore ears and squeezed his eyes shut, resting his head against the barricade.

 _I just want to go home..._

Voices grew closer. "There's not that many places for him to run. He's around here somewhere, just look hard enough!"

Osomatsu whined, tightening the pressure on his ears.

 _I want Mama and Papa..._

Anxious yokai searched everywhere for the human boy they had taken under their wing, but hadn't considered looking in the tubes just yet. The sound of their congregated pleas for him to emerge from his hiding spot getting quieter and quieter.

 _I want Karamatsu, I want Ichimatsu, I want Choromatsu, I want Jyushimatsu, I want Todomatsu..._

Crickets' chirping overpowered the noise of the demons, who were much further away now. Osomatsu relaxed himself a little.

 _Just get me out of here..._

He brought his hands down slowly into his lap, sniffing softly. His eyes remained shut.

 _I don't belong here... I need to escape..._

The cicadas' singing was calming. It almost sounded like he were laying silently in his futon in his bedroom, listening closely to the noises outside.

 _Mommy... Daddy..._

His breathing started to even out. The lingering pain that his bullet gave him was starting to numb. The inside of this pipe was comfortably warm.

Before he knew it, the bustle of the bugs outside had lulled the scared child to sleep.

...

One of his eyes lazily opened. Had he heard something?

Osomatsu stretched to wake himself up to the best of his ability inside the cramped tube, listening closely. His mouth felt like it was made of cotton. He was far from refreshed, but even just a small nap was what he needed in order to be momentarily free of the stress that kept him shackled ever since he had made the naive decision to live a second time.

Outside, there was the sudden, unmistakable sound of dead leaves crunching under shoes, and Osomatsu gasped worriedly. He nervously pressed himself against the wall, holding his breath, watching the entryway for any sign of somebody else.

He heard the foliage stop scrunching outside, but heard the noise of clothes shifting as they moved. Oso dug his teeth into his bottom lip as he saw a shadow in front of the circular light. Mindlessly, the boy let out a whimper of unease, but immediately resented himself when he saw the shadow shift suddenly after hearing the noise.

 _Shoot! Shoot, shoot, shoot!_ Osomatsu dug his hands into his ears again. _Maybe they hadn't heard me. Maybe they'll leave and I can make a run for it!_

Much to his dismay, the silhouette altered its shape as the person knelt down to glance inside.

Osomatsu felt like he had the wind knocked out of him and was left unable to breathe for a minute, anxiety instantly racking him with convulsions. Only a few feet away from him staring into his hiding spot was the same man who had tormented him in life, forcing him to act as an accomplice in crimes and keep quiet about it or else Oso would wake up next to five brothers with slit throats. Even after his arrest, the eldest son had been plagued with night terrors about what that man had threatened to do to his family.

And there Tougou was, gazing in at him like he were some sort of circus act.

Osomatsu let out a screech, scraping his nails on the bottom of his pipe in a desperate attempt to grab pebbles, whipping them in his direction. " _Get_ away _from me!_ " He bellowed out, tears blurring his eyes, reliving being literally ripped away from his family by his would-be kidnapper as he gripped his arm so tightly it bruised his skin. Tougou recoiled from the tiny rocks stinging his face, but he just rubbed them out of his eye and looked back in again.

"You know, you should really get out from there."

" _S-Shut up! I don't have to listen to you!_ " Protectively, Oso's hands were on his ears again, trying to block out the sound of his voice.

"Everyone's been looking for you all night." He was calm.

" _Go away! I don't want you here!_ " The words caught on his tongue, knowing saying things like this in life would earn him a bar of soap in his mouth, but hysteria made them slip anyway. " _F_ - _Fuck off!_ "

Tougou shifted so he could sit on the ground, looking into the pipe with his arms crossed. "I'm not moving from this spot until you leave this cylinder, so the quicker you want me to leave, the quicker I suggest you get yourself out of there."

Stubborn, the boy shook quietly in a panic against his wall, glaring out at the man, who patiently waited, never looking away from the entrance to the pipe. Biting his lips, Oso turned his head so he could stare at the concrete that was less than an inch from his face, knees tight against his chest. He continued to stare for a while, his eyes eventually going crossed and his head starting to hurt from the uncomfortably close focus. He tried to nonchalantly look over to see if Tougou was still there, and sure enough, he remained in the same position that he had gotten into when he first sat.

Osomatsu grumbled, resting his chin in the crook of his knees. The last thing he was going to do was listen to _him._ Go figure he was in Hell. He hoped he had died a slow, painful death that reflected the pain he had caused the Matsuno family, and probably a bunch of other people too.

Hours had to have passed before Oso began to grow restlessly bored. He didn't want to fall asleep in fear that he would just try to kidnap him like he had before, but staring at the fabric of his pants and the cement of the walls only could keep him entertained for so long. Disgustedly, he glanced back over to the outside, where Tougou still sat composedly.

"Are you done pouting yet?" He asked the boy, whose cheeks just puffed in further provocation. Tougou just made a face.

"Well, kid, seeing as you're not coming out of there any time soon, the least you could do is talk to me."

Osomatsu turned to face the barricade again, breath heavy and warm as he fought off tears. After a minute, he spoke, his words small.

"I don't want to talk to you," The ten-year-old grumbled, pinching his eyebrows, refusing to look at the man. He heard Tougou chuckle, his voice low and gravelly.

"I understand that. And I understand why. But whether you like it or not, you know that I'm the most familiar thing to you in this place." He shifted the way he was sitting, putting the opposite leg on top of the other, the one gone numb from sitting the same for so long. Osomatsu glared even harder at the wall, not wanting to admit that he was right. "You're scared and alone. This is probably the first time in your life that you haven't been able to run home to your little brothers after a long day, right?"

The mentioning of his brothers hit him hard, and hot tears welled in his eyes. He began to breathe staggeringly. "Y-Yeah." Oso sniffled, trying to keep himself composed to not seem weak.

"Don't cry." There wasn't an ounce of comfort in Tougou's voice; it sounded more like an order than a sympathetic remark. Osomatsu wiped a tear out from underneath his eye with his middle finger, peering out of the darkness at the man. He hardly turned his head at all, but it was enough to show his left eyebrow.

"Woah, that's an awfully nasty wound you got there," Tougou pointed out, Oso's face loosening in realization that he had accidentally revealed it.

Osomatsu said nothing, lips tightening into a line as he looked at the bottom of the pipe.

"...What happened?"

For the first time since their reunion, Oso forced himself to angle his body so he could rest his back almost completely flush against the barricade, crossing his arms over his chest protectively. The shimmer of the water of his eyeballs were the brightest thing in the dark, and his pupils flicked over the man's appearance.

"You know Teke-Teke*?"

"Yep."

"I," Oso gulped, the lump in his throat heavy, "I was out looking for her at night. Choromatsu didn't... he didn't want to, to come with me-" He lifted his head. "You remember Choromatsu, don't you?"

Tougou shook his head, the kid still as annoying in death as he remembered he was when he was alive, and placed his chin against his fist. He rested his elbow on his knee. "No, but that doesn't matter."

"Um, okay. Well, I was looking for her, and I passed this... this... w-warehouse..." Oso began to blubber, his teeth clamped shut in an attempt to fight the urge to cry. Recalling the event from a couple of days ago was grinding salt into the laceration that idled on his face. He shoved a palm into one of his eyes. "S-Sorry..."

"It's fine." Tougou sounded entirely apathetic, but listened anyway. "Take your time."

Osomatsu took a minute to recollect himself, watching the man just stare at him, eyes half open, almost as if he were bored. The little boy didn't pay any mind to his interest, though, and opened a sticky mouth to keep going.

"I was looking for h-her around there, but then I heard... I heard gunshots, and, a-and- I couldn't move for a minute," He began to hyperventilate, but Tougou didn't say anything. "I s-saw two guys run out with guns, shootin' at- at each other, and t-they saw m-m-me..." He suddenly could feel the bullet deep into his skull, aware of its weight, both emotionally and physically. His final sentence burned the tip of his tongue, and all at once, the tears that had pooled in his lids poured down his face in a hot stream, letting out a wail. " _A-And one of 'em pointed their gun at me and I cried for mercy and he s-shot me dead in the street!_ "

Tougou watched wordlessly as the little boy hiccupped and screamed and clawed at his eyes to try and get the tears to stop. Osomatsu's heart felt like it was going to burst from the convulsing aches that rattled his body in pain, the lunch he had eaten the day before resting dangerously at the bottom of his throat. The criminal let him weep for a couple of minutes, but once his nasally voice began to pierce his ears with the high-pitched shrieking that hadn't urked him before, Tougou rolled his eyes.

"Okay, okay, be quiet..." He tried to say, but Oso couldn't hear him over the sound of his own wailing. Tougou cleared his throat.

"Hey..." He said, a little louder this time. Osomatsu continued to cry.

" _Hey!_ " Tougou growled, sharp like the knife he favored, and the boy remembered hearing that crisp, demanding voice ordering him to do things with the safety of his family on the line. The little boy clamped his mouth shut, trying to swallow the bubble of a sob that rose up his throat. He let out a whimper of apology, attempting to slow his respiration down.

Tougou drew out a long sigh. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, boy, check this out." He shoved his thick fingers into the neck of his shirt and tugged downwards as far as he could; right in his heart were three bullet wounds, swollen and gory like Oso's were. The little boy gasped in shock, bringing his hands up to his mouth. Easily, his attention was taken from his death to the injuries that sat on the man's chest like holes drilled into a bowling ball.

"W-What happened?" Osomatsu inquired, leaning out of the fetal position he was in to be able to see a little closer.

"Tried escaping prison and didn't even make it off of the premises before they gunned me down." Tougou lifted his eyes up from his wounds and bored two more holes into Osomatsu's skull. "You know, the prison that _you_ put me in?"

Osomatsu went back to sitting against the barricade, but wore a moue expression, crossing his arms at the man. "You deserved it." He said bluntly.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, sure. Anyways, the point is, you and I got somethin' in common, yeah?" Tougou let go of his shirt, the fabric returning to where it was before. "You're not as alone as you think."

The boy shifted his legs to stretch out in front of him, completely facing him. His lips were bunched on one side of his face and his eyes on the curvature of the pipe's walls. "Look, I get what you're trying to say, but you're the worst person I've ever met in my life and I will never, _ever_ be able to relate to you." He pressed himself to look the burglar in the eye. "A-And I'm sorry if that hurts, but it's true. You hurt me and my family so much, and I don't even think you realize it..." He started to wipe at his eyes again, his face beet red.

Tougou scratched his head, looking off to the side with a low groan. He crossed his arms at the inside of the tube. "Listen. I'm just trying to give you a crutch here, kid, so why don't you take it?" He had to duck his head to be able to really see Osomatsu. "I don't like you. You don't like me. That's to be expected. But how the fuck do you think you're going to survive in an unfamiliar place with no knowledge of where anything is or what's edible or anything?"

Oso hung his head in acknowledgment of how truthful that was. He felt like a scolded puppy and retracted his knees a little to hug them.

"Exactly. You're not. So you need to go back to that palace where people have _adopted_ you and _care_ about you and will be able to do so much for you that your family on the other side will toss and turn at night that they can't have the same advantages you have right now." Tougou picked at his razor-sharp teeth. "I saw where you lived, boy. There's a reason your family needed to rent a room out to a lodger like me. Trying to feed eight mouths on one income ain't easy; I'm sure your biggest meal was lunch at school, wasn't it?"

The boy nodded stiffly. He felt intruded on.

"I figured. You know, it's kinda harsh to think about, but maybe you _needed_ to die so your family could rest a little easier. It'll keep a dagger shoved in all their little hearts for a while, but they'll each be able to eat a little more."

Oso nodded again, the words sinking into his brain. Tougou had a point. Though he would've never admitted it willingly, he and all his brothers went to bed with nearly empty stomachs, the rumbling of each others' bellies acting as a white noise lullaby. It especially didn't help with gluttons Choromatsu and Ichimatsu, who would steal rice balls off of everybody's plates when they thought no one was looking. Todomatsu favored using them as pillows since their tummies were a little softer than the other brothers, but he never pieced together why.

The eldest son swallowed hard. Maybe Tougou was right.

With a sigh, the man outside pulled his feet out in front of him, squatting on the ground. He held out a beckoning hand.

"Come on, kid, you need to go back to the palace." He uttered, and Osomatsu started to crawl out, but then stopped.

"I don't want to take your hand. I don't like you."

"Well, that's fine. Just get out of there."

Tougou stood up and took a few steps back to offer the little prince room to emerge and stand up, his knees stiff and cracking with the sudden movement. Osomatsu stretched with a long moan, rubbing his eyes. It wasn't light outside; Hell didn't have sun. The areas were all lit by strangely colored flames that spread on tall pillars, and there weren't any near the forest of pipes, Oso noted.

"Are you ready?" Tougou asked.

"Yeah."

"Alright, follow me, then."

Oso kept at least eight paces behind the man in case he tried to pull anything quick like he had liked to, keeping close watch around him for anybody that Tougou might be working with. But nobody ever emerged and Tougou never spun suddenly on his heels to grab Osomatsu around the neck, but instead brought him close to the palace gates, leading him behind a pillar.

"I don't want the credit of finding you." The man mentioned, taking note of Oso's purposeful distance and maintaining it. "I don't want the notoriety. I've got enough of that. So you can head in there by yourself, if that's fine."

"It's fine." Oso agreed, secretly appreciative that the criminal didn't want to stay by him for much longer either. He began to start towards the gates to try and get in, but a thought crossed his mind, making him spin around.

"Thanks for bringing me back."

"It's fine."

"U-Um, but, I hope you'll understand if I tell you that I don't want to see you ever again." Osomatsu rubbed the back of his neck. "I have a lot of bad memories associated with you. Seeing you brought a lot of those back. I think it would be best for me if you never show your face around me from here on out."

Tougou nodded, not a single part of him hesitating or twitching in argument. "Yeah, yeah, I get it, kid. Good luck with the whole 'king' thing."

"Thank you."

Not even giving him a little wave, Oso looked at him for a second more before approaching the heavy metal gates, wrapping his tiny hands around the bars and shaking them with all his might. Upon hearing the noise from outside, voices on the inside of the fence from places Osomatsu couldn't see bustled anxiously, asking each other if it possibly could be the human prince.

Oso could hear their voices getting closer and closer, and turned back to look at the last familiar thing from Japan he had left. Tougou was no longer there, dissolved into the shadows.

He was right, though. Now Mama, Papa, and all his brothers could have slightly bigger meals now that they had one less mouth to feed. Maybe they'd be able to go to the beach more often, or be able to go and see more movies, or go to festivals and buy more toys. Things were better off without him. He needed to die.

 _They're quintuplets now._

He said the word out loud. "Quintuplets."

That was what they were.

The Matsuno quintuplets.

After a long, drawn out breath, Osomatsu decided he was okay with that.

From then on, they were the Matsuno quintuplets and Prince Osomatsu-kun was an only child.


	10. Ghost Waltz

" _Happy birthday, dear nii-san-_ "

"- _Choromatsu-_ "

" _-Fappymatsu-_ "

" _-Shitbag-_ "

" _-Happy birthday to you!_ "

Choromatsu laughed, placing his hands endearingly on his cheeks.

"Thank you guys! Happy birthday to you all, too!" His smile was as bright as the sun that was beating down on their shoulders, those of them that were wearing heavy church outfits slowly cooking inside their clothing. But they didn't complain.

Todomatsu, with a bounce in his step, bounded to the very end of the dock, latching his toes onto the edge and sticking a leg out; carefully, he stretched his body as far as he could, trying to reach his big brother, who was further out into the lake.

"Blow it out!" He laughed, a green cupcake in his palm with a single pink-striped candle stuck into the top. Choromatsu blew out a puff of air, distinguishing the flame, and hurriedly took his present from his brother's hand before he fell into the water.

"Thanks, Totty," The goddess grinned, popping a thumb into his mouth to rid of the stray icing that got onto his fingers. "Don't you guys have cupcakes too?"

"We ate ours back at the church." Ichimatsu mumbled, squatting down onto the ground to pet ESP Kitty. Karamatsu put his hands in his pockets, his mirror (the glass held together by glue that had managed to stick for years so far) slipped comfortably under one of his palms.

"Do you like it, _brother_?" The three other brothers that weren't currently in the water cringed at his sparkling bi-shounen eyes, the youngest mumbling a sincere sounding "please die".

Choromatsu bit into the cake, bright green frosting left behind on his lips, but he licked them away with a satisfied hum.

"Karamatsu, this is delicious!" The water boy peeled back the paper on the treat, biting into it again. "Did you make this?" He asked, mouth full, but pushing the cake to one side of his mouth to try and be a bit polite.

The second eldest nodded proudly, hands on his hips; Ichimatsu could've swore he saw the ego pouring out of his ears and let out a grumble, focusing more on playing with his cat. Jyushimatsu fluttered his wings excitedly.

"Nii-san woke up at three in the morning to be able to bake them so he could surprise us all before Ichimatsu nii-san woke up!" Sunshine smacked his lips in memory of what it tasted like. "They weren't half-bad! They were _yuuuuummy!_ "

"They were, actually," Todomatsu reluctantly admitted, "I was impressed."

Karamatsu rubbed the back of his neck, an appreciative chuckle coming out of his mouth that already was dripping painfulness. They all braced themselves.

" _Ah,_ thanks, _buruzas,_ " Kara spouted, everybody else groaning- save for Choromatsu, who was too busy working on his cupcake, "Your kind words make my heart beat a million miles, _just for you..._ This is the best birthday I've had in awhile, and I'm honored I get to spend it with such wonderful brothers with such _smiling souls-_ "

"-Okay, okay, stop before we take it back." Todomatsu put a hand on his shoulder, giving him an evilly honest look, Jyushimatsu nearly keeled over to the side in a painful overload. Ichimatsu shook with pent up annoyance that he would've taken out on Kara's stomach if he had kept going for a couple more seconds.

The brothers were met with an awkward silence, ESP Kitty's purring the only thing heard save for Choro sloppily licking his fingers. Todomatsu wrung his hands, his standard cat face returning.

"Karamatsu nii-san's cupcake had goddamn glitter in it."

Choro flinched. "Ah, Totty, shouldn't you watch how you use the Lord's name, being a religious choirboy and all?"

"It doesn't matter."

The goddess tossed the wrapper onto the dock, Jyushi exercising his wings by taking off to go get it.

"Oh... well, alright then. Was it the edible sugar glitter?"

Jyushimatsu scooped it up, flying straight into the air with a whoop, the gust of wind from his wings threatening to knock Choro's leaf crown off. The older brother swept his hands up to grab it before it tumbled into the water.

"Huh...?" Totty's lip popped out in confusion. "There's non-edible glitter?"

The angel, floating above the lake, pulled out his metal baseball bat kept hidden away inside his halo, materializing in bright golden light. Smile wide on his face, he tossed the wrapper in the air.

Choromatsu crossed his arms, concerned, frog mouth in a triangle. "Uh, _yes_?"

Todo and Kara exchanged glances.

"Oh. Well, then, we just used regular blue glitter. That stuff's not the edible stuff, is it?"

"No, it's not!"

"Hustle, _hustle!_ "

Jyushimatsu swung his bat as hard as he could, the cupcake paper making contact with the metal, but its weight didn't carry it much further than a couple of feet before sailing a little more in the wind, silently falling into the water.

Choro scratched his head, smiling tiredly. "Jyushi, please don't litter in my lake."

The angel let out a yell, diving back down to get it. "Sorry, Choromatsuuuuuuu!" Jyushi cried as he swiped it out of the water, flying up again after throwing it towards Totty. Totty caught it and held onto it, the green icing leftover on the paper melting onto his hands.

"I don't feel 26," Ichimatsu said, not looking up from his cat. The orange kitty plopped over onto his side with a mew, and Ichi sat down completely, scratching his belly.

"Man, me either!" Totty threw a hand behind his neck. "I still feel like I'm in my teens."

"Well, you look like you're twelve," Ichi snickered.

"Wow, Ichimatsu, it would be great if you learned how to shut the fuck up every once and awhile."

"Okay, okay, brothers, that's enough." Kara intervened, pulling at the collar of his shirt.

For the past three years, the four brothers that weren't condemned to the lake went out to visit Choromatsu every day in order to make sure he still had contact with them. Jyushimatsu would go during morning mass, Totty would go after mass, Kara would go in the midday while Todo was off in the market and Ichi was elsewhere, and Ichi would come after dusk. Every so often, they would all come collectively to spend time as a family. Kara had missed the closeness they all shared, especially since ties had been staggeringly severed by the sharp scissors of death.

He watched his little brothers converse and laugh with each other as if no time had passed. Connections were remade in the past couple of years and it was refreshing to witness. Until the sun was nearly completely down, Kara sat on the dock alongside the others and enjoyed their birthday doing nothing except talk with one another and share stories of when they were little.

They bid their farewells and Todomatsu clung to Ichi's arm in the dark as they made their way back to the church, eyes weighing a million pounds with fatigue. They were all too exhausted to say much else to one another, heading straight into their rooms to change into pajamas. They could go to the bath house tomorrow.

Jyushi took his place in the Yellow Yard as always, and Ichi and Todo lazily wormed their way under messy covers that they had forgotten to put away earlier that morning. Kara sat at his window, peering at the stars.

The constellations weren't currently aligned so he could watch Orion's Belt, but he liked to examine the night sky anyway. A silk sheet of a number of dark blues, pin pricked with white light and home to the moon.

Due to their circumstances, Kara hadn't been able to give his brothers anything more than cupcakes for their birthday, but he was overjoyed to hear that they liked them. (Even if they didn't, they were great at hiding it.) He knew it had to pain Ichi and Todo that they had to give up their normal life that they had lived in their childhood home - because it hurt _him_ dearly - but they were wonderful at trooping through and dedicating their lives to God. Sure, they weren't nearly as into it as he was (he often cried during sermons), but the fact that they tried at all warmed his heart.

He was a proud older brother.

He froze, ice shooting down his spine. His eyes flicked down to the sill.

He had almost forgotten something.

...

At two in the morning, Karamatsu was trying to quietly shuffle things around the kitchen without making much noise. He nearly had to hold his eyes open with his fingertips to keep himself awake, but he didn't go back to bed. Instead, he scraped together the ingredients he had used early yesterday morning, kneeling down to grab the icing out of the fridge.

After shoving the pan into the oven to bake, he scooped the leftover frosting into a bowl, letting out a groan as he realized he had to rummage for food coloring again. Kara dug out heaps and heaps of pots and pans, finally reaching the back of the cupboard, grabbing a single container of dye. He squeezed a couple drops into the icing and whipped it, head bobbing as he tried not to fall asleep.

The beeping of the oven jolted him to full-consciousness as he raced over to shut it off so he didn't wake his brothers. Taking the pan out, he frosted the single cupcake that was in the tray with the vibrant red icing, loading it until there was hardly any left in the bowl (less to clean up later). The glaze dripped down the sides onto the wrapper, making it hard for Kara to take the warm cupcake out without either squishing it or getting it all over his hands, but he managed. Pacing down to their bedroom to grab a jacket, he went back to the kitchen to retrieve it, the treat more solid after having more time to cool.

He made his way down the hallway quietly, reaching their bedroom door and marking the start of Todomatsu's candlelit area. Very quickly he was out of that area and down the mirror's corridor, the sounds of his heels clicking echoing off of the glass.

"Nii-san."

Kara whirled around, flinching at the sudden noise, but was met by a glowing Jyushimatsu, the good and holiness he gave off bringing literal dim light to the dark.

"Oh... Hello, Jyushimatsu."

"Where are you going?"

"Ah..." Kara hesitated, glancing down at the cupcake, the shiny frosting piled on top looking like paint. Jyushi observed it before nodding once and catching up to him.

"Wherever you're going, I'm going with you!" He bulged his 'muscles'. "Because I'm your _guardian angel! u!_ "

"Okay, okay, okay, shush, be quiet!" Kara rustled the angel's hair, who had gotten overexcited about his job like he had a tendency to do. The shining boy slowed down, breathing heavily in halcyon.

"S-Sorry," Jyushi inhaled.

"It's alright." Karamatsu looked him over. "Should you bring one of our coats? It's kinda chilly out, little brother."

Jyushimatsu made a face. "Nah, I'll be okay." He smiled, pulling his bangs out of his eyes. "Promise."

"Well... okay, then," Kara looked back down at the cupcake, but started towards the door. "Come on. I wanna get there and get back."

...

Jyushimatsu grabbed his older brother under the armpits, fluttering his wings to lift them both over the spiked gates. He set him down gently, choosing to remain hovering in the fear of stepping on something in the dust. He noted to himself that he should probably start wearing shoes of some sort.

The second and fifth sons overlooked the cemetery for a minute, taking in the pillars of tombstones, the neatly organized rows eerily empty. The graveyard in Akatsuka Ward was highly familiar to them- they didn't even have to think twice of where to go.

Wind roughly blowing their hair, Kara tightened his grip on the tiny cupcake so it didn't fall. Jyushi was close behind, watching in all directions to make sure that nothing was going to creep out of the shadows to try and hurt his big brother. He had his fingers lingering on his halo in case he had to pull his bat out.

The cemetery was almost lost in time, the atmosphere exactly the same as it had been when they were kids, even though everything around them had changed entirely. Skyscrapers towered where favorite playspots used to be, trash littering the beach they'd spent entire days at, their old home completely paved over to provide space for a parking lot.

Yet in this cemetery, the spirits of everyone danced, children crawling out from under their tombstones to waltz with one another to the moon's song until the sun trickled onto the horizon.

Kara turned on his heel robotically down one row, stopping in front of a tombstone that looked exactly the same as the others, but had its own distinctive differences. There was a chip out of the second box of stone where Ichi had accidentally dropped his bookbag on the corner one day after school, the small symbol for 'Matsuno' was carved into the concrete in front of it, and it was already visited twice that day; roses rested gently in front of it.

Jyushi and Kara exchanged glances. They both wondered who it was, but it didn't matter. It was probably old, forgotten childhood friends who happened to remember his birthday. They sat in front of the marker.

The blue brother softly set the cupcake on top of the chipped stone box and plunged his hand into his pocket, shoveling around for a crinkled plastic bag and his lighter. Wordlessly, he took out a single, red-striped candle and stuck it through the icing, flicking the flame on and lighting the taper. The tiny fire wavered in the wind, but didn't distinguish.

The two men exchanged sullen glances and opened their mouths, breathing in at the same time.

" _Happy birthday to you,_

 _Happy birthday to you,_

 _Happy birthday, dear nii-san,_

 _Happy birthday to you..._ "

Their sentences trailed off as the wind picked up, blowing their big brother's candle out for him. A tiny stream of black smoke was carried away with it.

Kara let out a sigh, not even realizing that he had grabbed Jyushi's hand for support. He felt emotions rise up his throat, but he held them in. He peered up at the words carved into the stone - "Matsuno Osomatsu" - and forced himself to smile. He felt his little brother squeeze his palm.

"Hi, Osomatsu," Kara swallowed, "Happy birthday."

The wind howled in response. He cleared his throat.

"You're 26; can you believe it?" He laughed half-heartedly. "I can't believe it. It's crazy."

Jyushimatsu was holding himself together well, but Karamatsu didn't seem the same. He breathed through his nose, clearing his throat again.

"I miss you, Osomatsu nii-san," Kara murmured, leaning forward to place a hand on the stone. His other still remained in Jyushi's, who watched him with somber eyes. The angel scooted forward.

"It's okay," Jyushi whispered, resting his head on Kara's back, wrapping his arms around his chest in a hug. "You can let it out if you wanna. I won't say anything."

The warmth of the light his little brother gave off was comforting to the man who was so used to trying and keep it together for his family, adopting the role as the eldest but sure as hell not wanting it. He wasn't oldest-sibling material.

The wind carried a tear a foot over, splashing it next to the cupcake.

"It's not fair, Jyushimatsu." Kara's voice crackled, his lip quivering. "It's not fair."

"Eh?"

"He was a child. A little boy. He didn't deserve this..." Karamatsu began to sniffle, not bothering to touch his eyes as the tears fell. He let them flow freely. Jyushi rubbed comforting circles into his back.

"I know, nii-san," He agreed, "Life is cruel, isn't it?"

The painful brother didn't say anything, memories flooding back from that horrifying day.

Nobody had heard him come downstairs over the sound of their mother's wailing. He was sent as the current eldest in the room to scout out what had been happening; reluctantly, he went. They hadn't even seen him or heard his bare feet sticking to the floor. Kara had hurried over and managed to make it right next to Matsuyo, getting a full view of the dead body she cradled and the bullet hole that covered a good portion of its face with thick blood. His eyes were glazed and wide open in terror. The face that stared back was his.

Their father had noticed him just a second too late and nearly ripped Kara's arm off when he grabbed him, trying to shield him from seeing it, but the damage was already done. The boy went into shock, gripping tightly onto Matsuzo's shirt, wide eyes staring over his shoulder at nothing in particular. He carried Kara away from them, hoping to bring him into the next room over where it was quieter, but that was when the situation at hand had really hit him; tears welling almost immediately and a rock-sized lump in his throat, he began to howl too. Sinking into the wall, their father stayed there not only to be able to offer a crutch for Kara, but to make sure that if any other brothers attempted to come down the stairs (because he knew they would), he would stop them to prevent similar scarring that Karamatsu would have for the rest of his life. At a loss for words because even he had no idea what to do, Matsuzo rested his chin on top of Kara's head, letting him scream and cry until he had nothing left.

The angel didn't cry at all, resting his head against Kara's back and feeling it rise and fall rapidly as he inhaled deep and low. The wind combed through their hair rather roughly - and Jyushimatsu was admittedly freezing - but the blue brother was completely ignorant to it all as he hesitantly slid his palm off of the smooth stone, letting his fingers linger on the name carved into it before finally pulling away. Jyushi lifted his head up, unwrapping his arms from around his brother, giving him space. Kara sat back, his throat raw.

"Jyushi, do you want to pray with me?" He asked, glancing over at the golden boy. The younger of the two smiled, adjusting himself so he would be able to comfortably clasp his hands.

"You lead, Father Karamatsu!" He giggled, Kara's priest jacket looking awfully funny on top of his pajamas. The elder grinned tiredly before bowing his head and folding his hands. Jyushi calmed himself and did the same, closing his eyes, listening for the deep voice.

"Heavenly Father, we pray here tonight in the early hours of the morning for our older brother, who was taken abruptly from us in childhood. In the past years, You have gifted us the lovely presence of two siblings who had been previously dead, but our precious Osomatsu still remains a wandering lamb. Lord, we pray for wherever he may be, he is nothing but happy and is spreading the joys that he did in life. May he forever be a smiling, gentle soul, and enjoy his twenty-sixth birthday up in the Golden City. Please let him know that his brothers all love ."

"Amen!" Jyushi echoed.

Karamatsu yawned; his tears had dried a long time ago. He ran a hand through his hair.

"Ready, Jyushimatsu?" He practically whispered.

Jyushi nodded, standing up and offering a hand. Kara took it, pulling himself up, and they both swept the dust off of their legs with their palms.

"Ah, Karamatsu?"

"Yes, little brother?"

"You said in your prayer that 'we' were given the two dead brothers."

"Yes."

Jyushi laughed awkwardly, leading his older brother out of the row. "Nii-san, I'm one of the brothers!"

Kara couldn't help but smile at the man's childish happiness and shrugged. "God will know what I mean. Let's just get home; I'm exhausted."

The spirits peeked out of their rows as they watched the two siblings walk past, their waltz put on hold to be able to see them. The angel lifted the other over the gate again, and once the light that was given off by the guardian was no longer able to be seen through the bars of the fence and the thick darkness, the ghosts grabbed each other's hands and picked up where they left off.

...

Choromatsu received it.

But he frowned.

He had no choice but to discard it. For some reason, he was always unable to locate Osomatsu in heaven. Perhaps he was still in purgatory somehow?

He hummed disappointedly.

Scrapping Karamatsu's prayer, he moved on to another one.


	11. Catalyst

Osomatsu and Totoko were squished rather uncomfortably in a single throne - which certainly wouldn't have been the case if it weren't for their damn wings - but Oso had found a way to sling an arm around her shoulders anyway, smirking before his childhood caretakers as they knelt before him. Not in a powerful, dictating way; he couldn't believe that the old youkai in front of him had managed to raise him to this position. He loved them.

"How much longer would you say, my Lord?"

Osomatsu licked his teeth in thought, his canines catching on the muscle. "How long have I been training, Totoko-chan? I can't remember."

Totoko resisted the beckoning urge to drive her fist right into his smug face, grinning into her cheek even though he knew how awkward she found it when he tried to show her affection like that. She leant away from his mouth, placing a hand on his arm to be able to push him if he got closer. "I have no idea. Like, three years and a month? Why would I know this?"

"I just thought you might, as all." Oso frowned at her repulsion, but focused his attention back on the demons in front of him. "I'm going to begin the process later tonight. Armageddon will be in full swing in a week, I'd have to say," A hand was on his chin, "And then I can bust the mirror on the thirteenth day once the humans have already started creating chaos on their own, and Earth will be ours."

The demons bowed over with a howl of awe at their human boy's plan - they had raised him! How proud were they? - as Totoko seethed quietly next to him. His fingertips danced on the skin of her arm.

"Aren't you excited, babe?" Oso grinned at her, playing with one of her pigtails, "You'll be able to have a whole lot more than just this shitty mirror." He started to trace her jawline to reach her lips, but she swung her hand up and slapped his away.

"Stop." She glared at him out of the corner of her eye, crossing one leg over the other so she could have just a bit more space to herself. His hand hovered above her shoulder, confused, but he drew it back and crossed his arms, clearing his throat.

"I would really appreciate it if you all could start preparing everyone for the crossover," The King suggested, his caretakers lifting their heads with open mouths, not realizing that they had been whooping for that long. His main caretaker, a fragile old woman ironically named Akki, nodded, folding her hands and smiling.

"Absolutely, my King," Akki agreed, "We will spread the word. But dear, don't you think you should have the liberty of telling the people? Since it's an honorable thing?"

Osomatsu hummed. "Ah, perhaps I should, then." He clapped his hands, and the demons in front of him stood, hands behind their backs. "Go and tell everyone to be in the courtyard in two hours."

"Of course, my Lord!" The three of them called out in unison, understanding they were dismissed, and hurried out of the throne room.

Totoko stood up, squeezing out of the thin spot she had been shoved in, and threw her hands on her hips.

"You _can't_ be serious."

"What do you mean, Totoko-chan?" Osomatsu had a habit of using that name when he knew she was upset with him. It was an endearing reminder of their old friendship. This time, though, she shrugged it right off her shoulders.

"You're actually going to break the mirror?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" Oso stood up too, approaching his wife with a smile, the look she was giving him jagged enough to slice diamond in half. He put his arms around her shoulders, leaning into her cheek, speaking softly. "I said I would give you the world if you crossed over with me, and I'm gonna give you the world."

"Uh-" She wrestled out of his grip, standing in front of him with stiffly crossed arms. " _Tell_ me you're not doing this all for me!"

"Not _all_ of it," Oso admitted, "But some."

"Osomatsu, I don't want you to take over the damn world!" If somebody had came to her five years ago and told her that she would say those words in the future and mean every bit of it, she would've laughed in their face.

"It's fine." Oso gave a wave of the hand, starting to walk out of the room. He called after her. "We need to prepare for later. Come on."

Totoko was perturbed but huffed after him anyway, tail snapping around behind her in a snit.

He was such an idiot. She didn't want to prompt herself to say that she hated him, but the decisions he made were frightening and were extremely unlike him anymore. The Osomatsu she knew was playful and unserious; _this_ Osomatsu was scary and austere, save for when he was trying to kiss her and get her closer to him. Over the years he had gotten a lot more bold in acting like they legitimately were in love ( _she_ wasn't, anyway) and pissed her off whenever they were doing something and she would feel a hand slide around her waist or a pair of lips press against her neck. She always made him knock it off whenever he did it. He remembered why she had married him, right?

She forced herself to change into the same kimono she had to wear for formal occasions- which was pretty much all the time -tying her hair back into a bun and keeping it in place with a couple of pins. Totoko couldn't even lie to herself about loving the clothes and luxuries they gave her. When she wasn't glued to Osomatsu's side like some decorative painted doll, she dressed in pure spider silk and wore shoes embedded with diamonds, the total price of the jewelry she wore on her neck, wrists, and ears probably worth more than a decent house. She could clap her hands twice and would have loyal servants at her feet, ready to do anything for their Queen. (She overdid it sometimes; yes, that was true, but the opportunity was there, so why not use it?)

Totoko left her bedroom, poking around for the King.

"Osomatsu."

"Yeah?" He was in an adjacent room, changing into his blue suit with the gray tie. Totoko stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame with a hand on her hip.

"Since you wanted to call this meeting, then you can paint my face for me."

"That's fair," he decided, turning around, his arm and neck tangled in his tie beyond getting himself out, the back of his hand shoved against his chin and his elbow plastered to his chest. "You gotta get me out of this though."

Totoko rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a smile at the mess he was in as she strode over, reaching out to try and unravel the man. He laughed at himself and the ridiculousness of the situation, and just like that, it was like things were fine again. Was it because they were in private that he was acting like the true Oso? Totoko didn't know. She just wished that Osomatsu showed this side of himself more often.

"There." She pulled it up tight, her fist at the base of his neck, and tucked the tie into his shirt. Oso looked around.

"Where's your paint?"

"It's in here."

The King followed the Queen into another room, where she sat down in a chair and crossed one leg over the other again, gesturing to a desk. "It's all over there."

"What do I get, the floor to kneel on?" Oso sassed as he retrieved everything. The arrogant girl hummed with a nod.

"There's no other chair. Oh well." Totoko shrugged, inspecting her nails. The man knelt down in front of her, popping the cap off of the abura wax. Scooping some of it on his fingers, he awkwardly rubbed it all over her face.

"This is weird." He made a face, sloppily wiping the extra stuff on his pants. He grabbed the cup of water that kept the paint mixture and dipped the brush in, painting her face ghostly white.

"Yeah, and it's also a pain in the ass," Totoko added, closing her eyes so he could paint her lids. "Now think- I gotta put this shit on anytime you wanna parade around outside under the torii."

Osomatsu replaced the brush back into the cup and grabbed the sponge to dust the powder on top of the paint. The smile was heard in his voice.

"Well, you won't have to wear it more than a couple more times," He mused, his mind already living in the future when he had already accomplished everything he could ever dream of. And he was so close to getting it.

"What about when everything's said and done and you're back on the throne instead of fighting?"

The sponge stopped above her eyebrow in realization, but continued after a second.

"I mean, you won't have to wear it if you don't want to." Osomatsu set the sponge down and began to draw the thin lines she needed for eyebrows. "You just have to here because it's traditional and everything that's ever been done over here has been done this way." He gently brushed the red eyeshadow onto her lids. "That's why I know how to do this. They used to make me do the Queen's makeup ever since I was little as a sort of 'introduction' to the tradition." He drew on her eyeliner. "But on the other side of the mirror, we haven't gotten to live over there at all. We can wean the yokai off of the customs and adopt a new tradition." He lined her lips and filled them in, standing up and stretching his legs. "Things are gonna be great, I promise. Just give me a chance, okay?"

Totoko stood up, glancing into the mirror. Her lip perked in surprise; she didn't look half bad. Nice.

"What if things actually turn out to be really shitty and we lose everything?"

"Then what little I have left will be yours." There was no hesitation.

Totoko's leathery wings shuddered, still adjusting to having their base smothered with the fabric of the kimono that she must have been growing out of. They were an exact match to Osomatsu's, who would likely look extremely strange without them. Their horns were a bit different-Oso's were longer and had more grooves and bumps-and the arrow on his tail was thicker and sharper, but there was no denying that the King and Queen's set of demonic extremities were much more extravagant than the rest of the yokai. That was to be expected; they needed some sort of differentiation from the plebeians of Hell.

Totoko crossed her arms with a grin. This boy was really in deep, wasn't he?

"We should probably go so we don't delay anyone," The King mentioned, catching Totoko off guard. She nodded, grabbing the parasol.

"Oh. Probably."

...

The shamisen and taiko were the same as they usually were, rumbling repetitively as the King and Queen stood at the start of the torii, the flames lighting their way. Wordlessly, the two of them strode down under them, eyes of the demons never leaving their faces. Totoko unstuck her fingers from the parasol's handle, sweat making it hard to hold it comfortably. Oso's wings and hers kept bumping together from the lack of space between the gates, but it didn't bother them much. Reaching the main pillar on the platform, they turned around, one monarch on each side of the flame.

"The end is near," Osomatsu simpered, and the youkai erupted into cheers, never actually believing they'd get as far as they did. They wore determined expressions and hung onto one another proudly. Their fragile little human boy had accomplished so much.

"I have spent the past three years of my afterlife gathering the strength and knowledge I needed in order to shatter the glass and set us free." Clenching his fist mightily, he produced a thick, red flame on his hand, power surging through his veins. He drowned in pride, a smirk washing over his face. "I now have that ability."

Totoko watched him silently. Sweat beaded on the back of her neck and her eyes darted around nervously. She gripped her parasol tighter to hide her anxiety.

 _Uh... He's actually gonna go through with this, isn't he...?_

"In thirteen days, I will completely break the mirror and we will be released to take the world as ours." Osomatsu drank up their yells of approval, bringing a finger under his nose. "Tonight marks the start of Armageddon. Upon dripping my blood into this flame, it will spread throughout their oceans until it is all that is left, human water supplies no longer existent." He reached up at his bullet wound, arching his fingers so his claws could all become one apex, and dug it into the gore, upsetting the laceration and causing it to begin gushing blood again.

Totoko was sweating so badly that she was afraid her makeup had melted off. What was this...? He wasn't actually going to...?

"Osomatsu." She whispered upon deaf ears.

The King held his fingers under the swollen injury to collect enough blood until his hand was soaked and held it above the flame.

"On the sixth day, I will cross over myself to make sure that everything is in order. Only on the thirteenth day will you be able to reunite with the Earth you died on."

Totoko was hit with sudden vertigo and almost fell over, her poise broken momentarily. Her head spun as she watched him, her lips parting in a plea.

"Osomatsu, don't do that," She warned, and he _had_ to have heard her this time, but he continued on anyway. The blood began to pool at his knuckles.

"The main entrance point is on Mount Fuji, so we all will be able to rush downwards from there once the battle has begun."

"Osomatsu, please," Totoko wanted to scream. Had he been serious about going through with it this whole time? Had it just gone over her head completely because she was too blinded by the riches and gifts she drowned in, mistaking his preparations for something totally different? If he induced the apocalypse, that would mean her mama and papa would die, too. And they hadn't even done anything to deserve it!

The bubble of blood grew thin at the top, threatening to break away from his hand. Oso observed it with impatient eyes, waiting for it to fall already.

If he started to kill everyone, then what about his brothers...?

Her composure didn't matter to her anymore. She brought the parasol to her side and whirled to confront him, glowering at him through the flame and his appearance altered by the heat, her face hot to the touch. He recoiled at her sudden movement.

She howled his name.

But it was already too late.

The blood dripped off of his hand, hitting the fire with a sizzle. Stepping back to admire what he had done, all of the demons leant in from where they were to witness the bright blue flame fade to a deep red, the wave spreading from the large fire to the rest of the pillars, engulfing Hell in crimson. Totoko was overcome with nausea and brought a hand to her forehead.

"What's the matter?" Osomatsu whispered over the blaze in an almost innocent manner, big brown eyes emulating how they looked when they were kids. Totoko reeled her parasol back and swung it at him over the fire, the King stumbling backwards to dodge and the flame flickering dangerously close to the paper. Demons stepped forward, confused at why- yet aggravated - that she had dared attempt to injure their King- Queen or not, it was inexcusable.

"Totoko-chan, what are you doing?" Osomatsu held his hand in front of her face as the tip of the parasol was held inches away from it.

"What do you _mean,_ 'what's the matter'?! _Do you have any idea of what you just did?!"_ The girl screeched, stamping her foot. The yokai stepped closer.

" _You just started the apocalypse! Everyone you've ever cared for is going to perish by_ your _hands!"_ She was livid, blinded by fury, and reached out, ripping him by his collar and tearing him closer.

" _How could you be so stupid?! You don't need the whole world; how is this not good enough for you?!_ "

" _Totoko, let me go!_ " Oso thundered, shoving a palm against her forehead and tried to drive her away, but as always, she was stronger than he was and knocked their skulls together when she pulled him even closer.

"Honestly, how did you even grow the balls to _do_ that?! Think of all your friends that you're going to hurt!" Totoko kept her strong grip on the struggling man underneath her, who was baring his teeth and trying to elbow her away, not wanting to bring himself to actually hurt her. "I don't care that literally everybody is witnessing this right now. This is batshit; this whole ordeal! I'm shocked that you're going through with this at all! Where did your empathy go? I don't know _who_ you are, _but you're not my Osomatsu-kun!_ "

The King under her suddenly looked as if he were going to burst from rage, scaring Totoko enough to make her loosen her grasp. She backed away from him, almost bumping into the flame, quickly feeling minuscule, hunkering her shoulders. Osomatsu fixed his tie and ran a hand over his hair once to smooth it, closing his eyes and huffing loudly through his nose. Totoko could see the yokai on the left side of her inch closer and she immediately wished she had kept her damn mouth shut. She was one against hundreds of thousands.

"Listen," Oso growled, opening his eyes and watching her, his gaze cold enough to freeze her right there next to the fire, "If you want to settle this later, we can settle this later. But I'm not going to fight with you right now."

Realizing that if she pressed any further, she would likely be killed by the overprotective youkai quicker than she would be able to react, she nodded, bowing her head. She couldn't see him, but judging by the projection of his voice Oso had lifted his chin towards the torii, fists balled tightly at his sides.

"It's fine," He reassured them, though the hatred in his voice spoke otherwise, "Everything's fine. We'll just continue with what we were doing."

Totoko remained on his side of the pillar for the rest of the ceremony, averting her eyes from the entirety of the demons, who were hardly paying any attention to their King but rather the traitorous Queen. Her ears were hot and she had set her parasol on the ground so she would be able to cross her arms, secretly hugging herself in an attempt to calm herself down.

 _It's fine. Everything's fine._

He spewed lies.

Her wings felt heavier than normal. She wanted to bury her face in her hands as if to hide herself, but that would be too obvious. The rest of the meeting was tense.

Heart heavy and bile in the back of her throat, the reluctant Queen shamefully followed behind the King all the way up to a spare room near their quarters; the same room where he had applied her makeup earlier than afternoon.

Osomatsu walked in and leant against the vanity, palms up against the edges and his nails scraping at the wood, splintering pieces away in his pent-up anger. Totoko stood in the doorway, watching him completely destroy the oak with his claws, truly fearful of him for the first time in her life.

"Close the door." He ordered in a grumble.

Adrenaline coursing through her veins, she shakily shut the door behind them with a click.


	12. Trouble in Paradise

"What the _fuck_ was that all about?"

"I can't believe you did that!" Totoko swallowed hard, regaining her confidence now that they were alone. "What got into you?!"

"What do you mean, 'what got into me'?" Oso crossed his arms, tail flicking unhappily. "I'm the King of Hell; did you think I was just gonna _lie_ to everyone about setting them free?"

The Queen threw her hands up. " _Yes!_ "

"Why?"

"Because! I thought you knew better not to start the fucking apocalypse!"

Osomatsu lifted himself off of the vanity and took a couple steps toward her. "Totoko, I don't know why you can't understand that these people are the people that took me in when I was scared and alone and that I _owe them!"_

"Except you don't!" Totoko approached him, trying to reason with him in a way that wouldn't piss either of them off. She had a headache and didn't need it to evolve into a migraine. "You don't owe them anything. They took you in under their own reasoning and you didn't ask for them to."

"Totoko, please, you don't understand. Just go with the flow. It's not as bad as you think. You're on the side that's going to benefit, so it'll-" Oso swallowed as he pushed his bangs out of his eyes, flustered and his voice heavy, "-it'll be fine."

Totoko crossed her arms, directly in front of him now, peering up at him. He was still busy brushing off the fury that overwhelmed him during the ceremony, but he was cool enough now that you wouldn't melt your fingerprints off if you touched him.

"Listen, you might think that because I'm quiet right now that I'm okay with this. Osomatsu-kun, I'm not okay with it at all." Totoko hid her hand in her kimono sleeve and tried to wipe the white makeup on her face off, the thickness of it all irritating her. It did nothing but smear, and she mumbled a 'fuck' under her breath.

Osomatsu pouted, scraping his tongue over his jagged tooth. "Well, if you don't like it, what do you think you can do about it? You can't do anything. You're stuck here."

Totoko glanced down at her makeup-stained sleeve, but back up at her husband, who was so agitated that he looked like he was going to cry.

"You said you're gonna wait a couple of days to break the mirror to wait for everyone to start chaos on their own?"

"Yes."

"But you're able to break it now?"

Osomatsu started to sweat, eyes frantic. "Yes..."

Totoko averted her gaze. "I want to go home."

" _Totoko,_ no!" Osomatsu threw his hands to his head, knowing that was coming. He sounded more hurt than angry now. "Totoko-chan, _please..._ " He fell to his knees, practically bowing before her, wings limp and draping over himself. "Please don't say that," Oso begged, the girl not wanting to look down in fear of changing her mind. "Totoko, please; if you loved me, you'd stay here with me."

Totoko bit the inside of her cheek, debating with herself, but forced herself to say it anyway. "Osomatsu, I don't."

She swore she heard the man's heart crack and snap in half. He jolted his head up, upset flooding his face and his cheeks a bright red.

"H-Huh...?"

Totoko bent down, moving her legs under her so she could sit in front of him comfortably. "Osomatsu, you knew this already," she murmured softly, "When you came to see me in my room, we made it clear that I was only marrying you so you could get your horns and I could be spoiled rotten." She reached out, stroking his hair in an attempt to make him feel better. "You knew this. Come on."

The King stayed where he was, watching the movement of her hand, feeling like a child, laying on the floor immobilized by heartache.

"I thought I grew on you," he admitted quietly, "I thought you were falling in love with me."

Totoko couldn't help but give a chuckle. "Um... no...?" She withdrew her hand, setting it in her lap. "What gave you that idea?"

"I... I don't know." Osomatsu sat up, rubbing his head. His eyes were glossy. "I guess I just kinda hoped and convinced myself it was true." A single tear fell and hit his pants.

"I love you, Totoko."

"I know."

"Do you love me?"

"...No."

He drew a sharp breath in and hung his shoulders, not sure what to make of it. In the back of his mind, he always knew this was true, but the ten-year-old boy in him celebrated that he had gotten his lifelong crush to kiss him in the altar, the red string of fate tight around their fingers.

That string must have broken loose then, huh? No, it couldn't have; it was never there in the first place. The bullet just must have done something to his brain.

Totoko patted his back, feeling bad for him, but not taking back what she had said, because doing so would be lying. "You know, Osomatsu, I wish I had never crossed over with you." Her fingers caressed his slick black hair again, weaving around his horns. "That way, the memories I have of us are sweet and innocent and delicate, not..." She stopped on one of the horns, running a thumb along its length. "Whatever this is."

Osomatsu said nothing, dwelling on his broken heart.

"I know you had a crush on me when we were little. And I guess I can confess that I used to have one on you too. But I got thirteen years to get over it."

Oso grew very aware of the bullet in his forehead again.

"We would've never worked anyway," Totoko uttered honestly, "Look at us now."

"But the situation would've been different," Osomatsu demurred quietly.

"Not really." She interjected, trying to wipe her makeup off again. "We're both too stubborn for our own good and want things to go our way or no way. We'd just spend our marriage fighting and bickering and it wouldn't be fun."

Osomatsu didn't know what to say, because she was absolutely right. All of the Matsunos were stubborn; that's just how they all acted. With Totoko, somebody usually got their ass kicked if she didn't get her way, because they certainly weren't gonna let her contradict their own plans.

"Usually though, when people marry their best friends, things are okay, a-aren't they...?" Oso stammered. Totoko clicked her tongue.

"That's what TV wants you to think, anyway." She shrugged. "I just don't think it would work out. You were my best friend, Oso-kun. I miss the times we used to have together."

The King grew nostalgic, recounting years worth of images of them doing ballet and slurping ramen at eleven at night and playing games after school in only a couple of seconds.

"And it makes me sad, because after all this?" Totoko brought her hand up to her mouth, pausing for a second. "...I don't think our friendship can be fixed."

Oso flicked his eyes up, looking at his wife- no, he couldn't call her that anymore, and apparently he couldn't call her his best friend either. This woman in front of him smiled in memory of the wonderful friendship they used to have, yet soft, warm tears of confliction ran sweetly down her cheeks, the streaks visible on the caked makeup.

"I'm sorry, Osomatsu," she breathed, hiccuping through her tears, "I'm so, so sorry."

The two of them just sat there for a moment, the words from the past couple of minutes hanging ominously above their heads. Out of the corner of his eye, Oso saw Totoko reach out at him.

With a gentle hold, she cupped his face in her hands, leaning in and pressing her lips against his, careful not to break the porcelain doll of a man. He didn't even melt at her touch; he just sat there as she separated their mouths, fingertips lingering on his skin before finally pulling them away. Osomatsu reached up to feel the place where her hands had been moments before, sorrowful and regretting that he hadn't felt anything.

But something bubbling inside him warned that he was feeling something now.

Frustrated and bewildered, he shoved his palm into his forehead, shaking his head with clenched teeth.

"Why do you _tease_ me like this then?" He inquired, so confused and lost as to what was happening that he was thankful he was sitting, because he'd have fallen over from dizziness by now. Totoko opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.

"I don't get you! One minute you're screaming in my face and the next you're trying to be all sweet; you say you don't love me and then you kiss me, and-" His mind passed over something discussed minutes earlier and suddenly all he could see was red. Fuming, he brought himself to his feet, towering over her with his tail flitting around, accidentally hitting Totoko and stinging her skin. She grabbed at her arm in pain.

"You want to go home? That's what you want?" His voice was deep and booming; the change in character frightened Totoko, and she thoughtlessly moved backwards and away from the danger, realizing that maybe she had made a mistake. He didn't give her time to answer.

" _Let's go then!_ " He swung down and gripped her arm, yanking it to pull her off the floor and upwards, making her cry out in distress. Immediately, his grasp loosened in harsh remorse, slipping his hold so it was on her hand instead. Nearly kicking the door open, he led her down the maze of hallways and stairwells, tugging her up a winding companionway to the same room that she had entered Hell from three years before.

It was a wide, open space, and at the very edge of the room was a large, thick glass pane, the clean white color reflecting the two of them.

Totoko ripped away her hand, stumbling from the raging Osomatsu, who stormed toward the mirror. She followed behind him at a safe distance, walking close to the pane.

He rolled up his sleeves, revealing actually rather toned muscles that were a result of years of preparing for this exact moment. He cast a sideways glare at her, mumbling under his breath.

"If you don't want to be impaled with thousands of glass shards, I suggest you stand back."

Taking a second to react, Totoko sheepishly moved to the middle of the room, waiting to see what would happen.

"What about you then?"

"I'll be fine."

Jerking his neck side to side to crack it, Osomatsu spread his fingers as far as they would go, blowing out a breath to steady his pulse. He pressed his palms against the cold glass, closing his eyes to focus. Feeling the power he had gained surging through his veins and coming to the surface, he bit down on his teeth.

The undersides of his hands glowed red as wisps of maroon spread on the glass, shooting across the entire pane and multiplying, a circuit of wiry strands. Osomatsu's muscles convulsed and twitched in overuse, but he kept his palms against the mirror as he shoved his cheek against the glass for leverage. Shaking, he opened his mouth to begin speaking in the tongue he had prayed to the shrine for the privilege to learn, the chant necessary for the final stretch to be taken to finally succeed.

Totoko held her hands in front of her face, the room growing freezing and her hair nearly falling out of the bun it was in from the sudden wind. She could hear Osomatsu's voice through the unmistakable noise of splintering that was drilling into her ears. Glancing up, she could see the mirror erupting into thousands of fractures, threatening to break apart. Throwing her arms in front of her head to protect it, she turned it away as she crouched down in preparation. Oso's claws dug into the glass, blood pooling under his nail beds from the pressure, one ultimate outpouring of strength rushing from his palms into the mirror, a huge fissure splitting across the length of the glass.

Hands and face still against it, Osomatsu remained where he was as the mirror shattered into thousands of fragments with a metallic crash, the deafening sound sending a spiral of pain through their eardrums as the glass fell to the floor. They rocked back and forth on the marble tile until they came to a standstill, stray pieces still falling off and clattering on top of the others. Oso dropped his scraped up hands to his side, taking his cheek off of a sliver, which proceeded to clash at his feet upon unsticking from his skin.

He heaved for air, sweat stinging his bullet hole as it poured down his face, but he felt an overwhelming sense of power having done what for thousands of years was only considered a fever dream. Totoko lifted her head, mouth gaping open at the wall, which no longer reflected their images but looked like a blurry, underwater image of someplace else; presumably where the mirror led to the other side.

Oso dragged a thumb over his bottom lip, wiping away blood that gushed out of a gash. "Go on." He urged, taking a step backwards and crossing his arms in her direction. "The mirror's broke. Go home."

The woman stood up, brushing off stray flecks of glass that had attached themselves to her dress, approaching the wall. Oso was stiff.

"You know, the moment you cross that threshold, I'm not gonna protect you."

Totoko stopped next to him, crossing her arms.

"You'll be no better than the rest of the people over there and you'll die alongside them."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'll be looking for you and so will everybody else. In their eyes, you're a traitor."

She couldn't believe that he was trying to intimidate her, feeling her face grow hot at his words in awe that he even had the gall to attempt it. Six days until he crossed, with the very real possibility that he'd be looking for her to kill her?

Sounded like a challenge.

"Yeah?" Totoko stood up straight, her wings stretched out in mockery. Her shoulders were high and her fists tight in courage, the King staring hatefully at her. "Come and find me then."

The Queen of Hell left it behind without hesitation, whisking herself into the mirror and disappearing on the other side.


	13. Chronophobia

144 hours were left.

Totoko was out of breath, but if she was gonna die in six days, she had things she needed to do before she went into hiding solely to piss Osomatsu off.

She ducked into an alley, giving herself a second to rest. The sky was dark - but not entirely black yet - and the streets were frantic, cars all over the place in a rush. Totoko had no idea why; it just looked like it was gonna storm really bad. Nothing apocalyptic yet.

Using her breather for time to think, she leant against the brick wall of the coffee shop.

"Ah, s-shit," she gasped, gulping in oxygen, "Where is he...?"

She didn't necessarily want to ask around for him, since she was a walking circus act with her hair half up, makeup smeared all over her face and sleeves, and a huge tear in her kimono from where she tripped and fucked her leg up trying to descend Mt. Fuji while running at the same time. The front was pretty bad; she just hoped the back hadn't ripped either so she wasn't accidentally giving everybody who happened to see her darting around in the shadows a show of her panties.

A sharp pain on her back reminded her that she also had huge ass wings that added to her appearance. And the horns. And the tail. She wished she could get rid of them, but that was impossible.

She tried to recall where he had been years ago, fingers crossed that she could remember and he would be in the same place. She put her head in her hands.

 _Come on, Totoko, think. Three years ago wasn't that long ago. When was the last time you saw him?_

She couldn't remember a lot of it because she was 99.9% positive she was blackout drunk by the end of that night. Something had her upset and she went there to vent to him, throwing back bottles like they were water. She remembered sloppily resting her cheek in the crook of her elbow, slumped over on the counter and grumbling about how cold she was from the chill of the river-

Her head shot up. The river! How could she forget?

She poked out of the alley, looking around, trying to place where exactly she was. Foolishly, she had been running around aimlessly, not sure where she was. If she remembered correctly, if she made a couple of rights and then a left, she could weave down the path that would bring her to the stairs leading to the oden stand.

But that would involve showing herself in front of potentially thousands of people. So far, she succeeded in only weaving in between alleyways and hopping fences. (That being said, she hadn't made it very far into the city.)

She made a face.

She could always... use... her wings...?

Even in Hell, she never used them. Osomatsu, on the other hand, liked to use them like he didn't have legs to carry him places. It seemed easy enough; just like moving your arm, she would just have to subconsciously think about flapping them and she would, right?

Hopefully nobody saw her in the skyscrapers as she went past. She'd only be up for a couple of seconds anyway. No big deal.

Exhaling in dreadful preparation, she moved to the center of the alley to offer herself as much room as possible. She remembered Choromatsu blabbering in high school about how the brain could only focus on four things at a time. Maybe if she thought about flying, then thought of four other things, it would happen.

 _Okay... wings. Salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines-_

She was a lot faster than she had expected, bursting into the air like a rocket. Panicked, Totoko slowed herself down, managing to hover, the wind from the height blowing the pins right out of her hair, the bun falling out and her brunette hair whipping around uncomfortably. She noted that she was at a standstill and probably needed to move if she didn't want people to see her.

Insecurely, Totoko flew forward, feeling the air shift under her red, slick wings, getting the hang of it as she fluttered them every once and awhile, nearing the water's edge. Diving down towards another alley, she threw her feet under her and slowly landed, her hair an absolute mess and the briskness of the wind still lingering on her skin. A smile involuntarily spread across her face. That was _the_ most thrilling thing she had done in a while!

The noise of an impatient driver laying on their horn in the road snapped her out of the daze.

 _Right. Business first._

Thankfully, the bustle was mainly on the road that was on the other side of the fence. The street she had access to was ghosted, most people not too concerned about making it down to the water's edge in weather like this. Hurriedly, Totoko grabbed her wings and crossed them across the front of her body in an attempt to hide them the best she could, running across the street and padding down the set of stairs. Winding around the corner, a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders when she saw Chibita standing at the railing, peering into the water. A familiar face that wasn't disfigured in the forehead was a relief to see.

"Chibita!" She called out, pushing herself to run over to him. The short man turned his head in surprise at the sound of her voice.

"Totoko?" Chibita turned towards her, the (much taller) woman panting and hunched over in exhaustion by the time she got to him. Damn, she was out of shape.

"Oi, where have you been for the past couple of years? And what the hell do you have on?!" He laughed, gesturing to his own face. "Your makeup's all messed up too, dammit! I know you, and you would never walk around with anything less than perfect makeup! So something's definitely up! Mind tellin' me what it is?" He placed his hands on his hips, his haughty smirk on his face as he chuckled, but he finally noticed the red wings sprouting out of her back.

"Totoko-chan?" Chibita was guffawing now, hand over his mouth in a poor attempt to stop it, "What...?! What are these?! Why do you have these on?" He reached out in a cackle, tugging on one of her wings, but reeled his hand away when she yelled out in pain and realized that they definitely weren't coming off anytime soon.

"Damn you...!" Totoko rubbed her back, feeling the sore base where it had pulled.

"Wait... Those are _real?!_ "

Totoko was still huffing from the trek down from the mirror. "Yes, but listen-"

"-What the hell?!" He backed away, arms out by his sides. He watched her fearfully. "How-?"

The girl rubbed her head, going to speak, but she was cut off.

"Do you have to do with _that?_ " Chibita pointed at the water, and Totoko made a face, walking up to the railing. Her jaw fell so quickly that it actually hurt.

The river was blood red. Any fish that had been in the water was on the surface now, crows swooping down to gather as much as they could to catch their meals for the next few weeks. Totoko brought her hand to her mouth in shock.

"He really wasn't kidding, was he...?" She breathed. Chibita had produced his ladle out of his apron, stepping even further away from her.

"I-I don't know what's up with you, but I ain't likin' it at all!" He held the ladle up threateningly. "You have something to do with this, don't ya?! This is your fault, isn't it?!"

"Chibita, shut up! For five seconds!" Totoko threw her hands up, knowing that they were wasting precious time. "I'll explain it all to you later, I _promise,_ but I need to know if you know where the Matsunos are. It's urgent."

The cook slightly lowered his dipper. He gave her a funny look. "You know where the sextuplets are..."

"What-?! No I _don't_! That's why I'm asking you!"

"You mean to tell me that after Choromatsu died, you just totally stopped talking to them altogether?!"

"They _fell_ off _the face of the Earth!_ "

Chibita replaced his spoon back in his apron with a nod. "Okay, that makes sense, then. They didn't tell you where they were headin'?"

"No! Chibita, please, I legitimately don't have time to play games; I need you to tell me where they are!"

"They moved into an old abandoned church and fixed it up. They run it now." Chibita crossed his arms. "I go there every once and a while to see Kara."

"...Wait, why?"

"Why what, why they moved there or why I go to see Kara?"

"Uh, both...?"

"It was the only way they could afford to live, and Karamatsu is the only normal one and is actually enjoyable to be around when he's not puking glitter and spewing shitty poems. I never really liked the other two, to be honest."

"Oh, okay." Totoko soaked in the information normally for a second before remembering the situation. She immaturely stamped her foot with a screech. " _Damn you, quit getting me off track!_ "

"Why are you askin'?"

"I need you to take me there! Right away! There's no time to waste!" Totoko clasped her hands hopefully, but wanted to blow a fuse when Chibita squinted his eyes at her.

"How do I know you're not tryin' to hurt them?" He looked at her getup again, realizing that there was an even bigger thing at stake. "What's in it for me?"

 _Aaaaaaaaaaaghh! He's no better than Iyami!_

"I suggest if you don't wanna be thrown into that river down there you'll take me to this goddamned church and you'll do it soon!"

"Fine, fine, geez; Totoko, you have a lot of explaining to do later!" Chibita turned around and waved his hand in the opposite direction, starting to walk. Totoko caught up with him, hands on his back to shove him forward, forcing his legs to move faster than they were.

"Run! We need to run there! _What part of 'there's no time' don't you understand?!_ "

"Okay, okay! All you had to do was ask!" Chibita started to run, leaving his stand unattended behind him, extremely fucking confused at why the river was red and the sky was black as pitch and Totoko had just mysteriously appeared after leaving him alone for three years straight and was dressed in some ridiculous costume that was an uncomfortable cross between a geisha and Satan.

This was one weird ass day.


	14. The Human Customer Service Desk

People were sprawled on the church steps, their children in their laps, hugging them and mumbling things about religion that Chibita understood none of. He had never been the religious type; besides, it wasn't like he had parents to take him to church or anything, and he sure as hell wasn't gonna take himself because quite honestly, what sort of child would take that responsibility into their own hands?

Chibita hummed. Choromatsu would've, probably, but the Matsunos grew up buddhist. That was why he was confused why they decided to buy a church and run it instead of finding some other way to support themselves that way they didn't have to convert. Ah, to each their own, he figured.

He stepped into the entrance, the huge oak doors propped open. The place was _packed,_ the pews stuffed and people up against the walls. Each were praying different things, the nave swallowed in a loud humming noise of a hundred different words being spoken at once, and up at the altar was a large clump of people reaching toward the middle.

In the center of the clump was poor Todomatsu, who was desperately trying to have ten conversations at once, but the look on his face clearly said that he was panicked and needed space. Chibita squeezed his way through the congregation that clogged the aisles, the churchgoers taking their own sweet time that urked the short man and almost drove him to duck under their legs and crawl his way through. He didn't wind up having to do that, though, and pressed himself into the group that was smothering the sixth son.

"Excuse me," Chibita practically yelled, the people just glancing down at him before going back to what they were doing. Did they think he was a kid?! That was even worse! Let the kid through to see the man instead of trying to just save yourselves, you selfish idiots!

"Hey! Move, I need to get through!" Chibita shoved this time, some moving out of the way. He neared the center of the circle, but the last ring of people he needed to get through absolutely refused to budge. He tried cramming his face in between them in an attempt to make himself seen, but the assholes just moved closer together, squishing him.

"Damn it!" He pouted, trying to pry them apart to free himself with no luck. "Todomatsu! Over here!"

The flustered, sweating man heard his name and the familiar voice and shot his head to the side, searching for where it came from.

"Matsuno!" Chibita called again, finally getting Totty to cast a glance in his direction, catching sight of the cook. Relief washed over his face.

"C-Chibita!" He blurted, the stubborn churchgoers realizing that the choirboy was going to deal with him first and reluctantly moving apart, setting him free. Chibita rubbed his face where it had been crushed.

"Oi, what are you even doing?"

"It... Chibita, the world is ending," Totty croaked, taking his hat off of his head to try and air out the sweat, "I'm kind of like a human customer services right now."

"Why isn't Kara out here, then? I feel like he'd know what to do more than you would, being the priest and all."

"He's out baptizing people last-minute at the lake. Ichimatsu was originally out here but got nervous and I was scared he was gonna shit himself, so we swapped places." Todomatsu felt an impatient woman tug on the back of his dress, yelling something, and he put his hat back on. "He's in the Yellow Yard praying. Why don't you go talk to him?" More people ripped at his clothes. "I-I'm kind of busy right now."

"What the hell is the Yellow Yard?"

"Just- go in the back. You'll find him. You'll know what it is when you see it."

Chibita nodded and squeezed his way out, feeling a major decrease of temperature once he had made it out of the sea of sweaty bodies. He wormed his way through again, reaching the long corridor that led back to their private part of the church, and began to walk down it.

Well he'd be damned. The world really _was_ ending. That would definitely explain the river turning into a deep red.

He pulled the door open, shutting it behind him and enjoying the blissful silence on the other side.

"Oh." He said to himself upon seeing the courtyard windows glowing gold, the light seeping in and projecting onto the floor. That would definitely be the Yellow Yard.

Chibita went up the couple of steps and creaked the door open, peering inside.

It was gorgeous; the entire room was engulfed in a comforting yellow, a fountain at the center that overflowed and spilt out onto the floor, creating a pool in the middle of the room that faded when it got closer to the walls. At the far side of the room was an actual basin, Ichimatsu bent over in prayer directly in front of it, a large brass cross looming over him. Chibita walked over, feeling guilty for having to interrupt him, but felt his soul nearly leave his body when he realized that an _angel_ was bent over next to him, the tips of his feathery wings dipped into the water.

" _The hell?!_ " Chibita squawked, scaring the piss out of both of them, Ichi shooting up and whirling his head around, the angel doing the same. The angel had Jyushimatsu's face.

" _The heeeeeeeeell?!_ " Chibita shrieked again, backing away. Jyushimatsu's smile widened, and he stood up excitedly.

"Ah- Chibita!" He cried, Ichi bringing himself to his feet next to him rather calmly. The angel laughed. "Wow, it's been forever! How are you?"

"Wha- how?!" Chibita was in disbelief, yet judging by how his day was going so far, this was entirely possible.

"He's our guardian angel," Ichi clarified, Jyushi grabbing his shoulders and shoving his cheek against his proudly.

"I'm training to be a seraph!" The fifth brother cheered. Chibita tried to breath normally to slow his heart rate.

"So... you're not dead?"

"Oh, no. I'm totally dead." Jyushi's eyes went flat. "I went up to heaven and they sent me back down as an angel to keep an eye on my brothers."

Chibita nodded. That was fucking crazy- in a good way, though. It wasn't everyday that you saw somebody whose funeral you remembered vividly walking around as if nothing was wrong.

"Well... that's good..." He scratched his face.

"Why are you here?" Ichimatsu asked, clearly busy. Chibita felt offended at his bluntness for a split second, but had to remind himself that was just how he was.

"I kinda have a major problem and I need you to come outside for a minute."

Ichi scoffed in inconvenience, adjusting his habit. "We're busy right now, Chibita. And we're probably gonna be busy until the goddamn world ends, so-"

"-Damn it, can't you just listen to me, cat boy?! This is important!" Chibita stomped his foot. "I was looking for Kara, but since he's off doing things, you're gonna have to do it!"

Ichimatsu was silent for a second, but crossed his arms, his stare cold enough to freeze the fountain next to him. "What is it?"

"I need ya to come outside."

"Can't we just stay here-"

"- _Damn it!_ " Chibita bellowed again and Ichi was tired of hearing it. His eyes went wild and he stormed toward the door, his dead little brother floating behind him in tow.

" _Fine! Let's go! This better be important!_ "

Ichi led them down the mirror hallway and out of the side door, the humidity hitting them in the face. Chibita hadn't realized how bad it was earlier.

"Why did we have to come outside?"

"Follow me."

The shorter one of the three led the other two around the backside of the church, taking them to the other side. There was a mass of weeds and brush and trees against the corner that was opposite of the courtyard.

"Holy _shit!_ " The briars yelled out, catching the brothers off guard. Totoko emerged, trying to weave her way through the maze of branches and vines, "Jyushimatsu?!"

"Totoko-chan?!" Ichi and Jyushi chimed at the same time, the Queen stumbling out, setting her wings free from the constraint of the trees, revealing them as well as her horns and tail. Jyushi immediately threw himself in front of Ichimatsu, pulling his bat from his halo, holding it up readily. Ichi peered around from behind him.

"Agh! No, you idiots, she's not going to hurt you!" Chibita ran in front of her, throwing out his hands. "I just had her hidden back here because I didn't want to freak everybody else out!"

"Jyushi, how are you here?" Totoko chattered as if nothing was wrong, taking in his appearance. "Are you an angel?"

"Ah..." he lowered his bat, still on guard, "Yes... Their guardian..."

"That's cool as hell!"

"Totoko, what the fuck _are_ you?" Ichi pressed, glaring at her cautiously from behind his brother, tightly gripping the cross he had around his neck. Chibita noted this. They definitely didn't have an ounce of a buddhist left in them.

"Why didn't you _tell_ me you were moving, asshole?" Totoko confronted, tail flicking. Chibita smacked her arm.

"I think we have more important things to deal with, you idiot! Talk about this later!"

"Wait, shouldn't I tell them with Todo and Kara so I won't have to explain it more than once?"

"Kara's baptizing and Todomatsu is currently dealing with a hell of a lot of people." Chibita ran his hand down his face. "Totoko-chan, just get on with it!"

"I just got back from Hell. Literally." Totoko could feel the sweat on top of her makeup and it was bothering her. "The world's gonna end in thirteen days. I was their Queen."

"Wait, you were the Queen of Hell?" Ichi pinned his eyebrows. Totoko nodded, her mouth dry.

"Yeah. I just wanted to tell you that before we all die, your brother is the one doing all of this."

Jyushi replaced his bat, figuring that she probably wasn't a threat. His voice was small. "...Osomatsu...?"

"Yes," Totoko and Chibita harmonized.

"He's the King of Hell. I, uh," she groaned, inspecting her hand, "I guess that technically, you could say he's my husband. I married him three years ago so he could become Satan and I could drown in money."

Jyushi clung to Ichimatsu with a whimper. The elder of the two turned bright red.

"You know, I have better things to do right now than to deal with a fucking joke!" He spat, placing a hand between Jyushi's wings to comfort him. "Are you two done?! Because I-"

"-Ichimatsu, listen to me!" Totoko pleaded, taking a couple steps toward him. The older brother backed up, pulling the angel with him.

"I was standing right next to him when he induced this mess. I left because I couldn't believe that he did it. He was dead, but they gave him a second chance to live if he would be the prince of Hell. His lungs were working and his skin was warm." Totoko twirled her hair in her finger as if her pigtails were in. Her voice got quiet. "I just wanted to let you guys know before we all die that yeah, your brother is kind of shitty for doing this, but he's okay."

Ichi looked horrified and disgusted, his little brother turning around to look at their old best friend. Her makeup was all over the place and her kimono was torn, and she had peculiar little horns coming out of her head. Her wings moved similarly to Jyushimatsu's when he was idle, the bones in the top visible through the tight red skin, her arrowed tail looking awfully expensive to be fake. He loosened his grip on his brother, maneuvering around him to approach the demon.

"You're lying to me," he doubted, yet there was something in his voice that sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

"Ichimatsu, I promise I'm not." Totoko held out her hand, showing off her ring. "Look."

On her finger was a black ring with a blood-red stone, the gem extravagant and the carving into the ring itself intricate. The design of a snake coiling around her finger was one of the things engraved.

Ichimatsu _knew_ that Totoko would never wear something like that unless she was made to.

"Oh G-God," Ichi brought a hand up to his mouth, stumbling backwards. For sixteen years the three of them wallowed in sorrow every time one of them even mentioned his name, heartache smothering them until they couldn't breathe. The nun found it hard to do that even now, his throat hot and lungs completely crushed. Osomatsu was alive.

He forced himself to think it again.

 _Osomatsu is alive._

He was literally Satan, and yeah, that sucked, but their big brother that was shot dead in the middle of the night was alive.

 _He's okay. He's okay. Osomatsu is alright._

"Nii-san's alive...?" Jyushimatsu murmured, turning around to look at Totoko. She folded her hands in front of her and gave him a small nod, and the angel looked back at his older brother, who had his gaze glued to the ground. The angel gently put his fingers under Ichi's chin and lifted it up, smile wide and eyes made of glass.

"Ichimatsu nii-san," he breathed, "Did you hear her...?" He grabbed his shoulders and shook him gently. "Osomatsu's okay...!"

Ichi pulled his mask up on his mouth and nodded, throwing his arms around Jyushi's shoulders, the two of them embracing and clinging to each other as if the other would disappear if let go of. No tears were shed, the pain of their brother's death a pink scar instead of an open wound, but they were in shock just the same. Chibita and Totoko just watched, exchanging glances every so often.

"I think we should find blue boy and tell him now anyway, that way we can go on and do what we need to do before it's all over," Chibita suggested. Totoko rubbed her thumb against her canine, not much unlike Oso.

"Probably. I want to go find my mama and papa before I go into hiding." Fingers crossed that they were still in the same little fish market they were in her whole life. Chibita made a face.

"Hiding?"

"Oh, oh yeah. I didn't tell you?" She turned her head, looking no less than repulsed. "He's fucking pissed that I left him there, so he's gonna come and look for me when he crosses over so I can be his first kill." A smirk spread across her face suddenly, realizing how important that made her sound. Chibita rolled his eyes, clenching his teeth.

"That bastard has no class, does he!?" A pang hit him and he rubbed his head awkwardly. "Ah... it sounds kind of weird saying somethin' like that about a dead friend, but if he's anywhere as bad as you make him sound, then I guess it can't really be helped."

Totoko walked up to the brothers, giving them a little bit of space. "Hey, uh, sorry to interrupt you guys, but where's Karamatsu...? We should probably go and let him know real quick. There's still a lot I have to explain to you guys, but I'd rather do it when you're all together. Somebody will have to pull Todomatsu away too."

The brothers let go of each other, Ichi fixing his habit again. "He's at the lake doing baptisms. I really don't think it's a good idea for you to go there. You'll get hunted with pitchforks and torches if the churchgoers see you."

Jyushi grabbed the tips of his wings, messing with them. "Ah- nii-san, what if she borrowed clothes?"

Ichi made a face of approval, shrugging and nodding. "I mean, I guess that could work. I know I have my old sweats and hoodie, and I'm sure Totty has a beanie laying around somewhere."

Totoko clapped her hands excitedly, a huge weight off of her shoulders. "Thank _God;_ if I had to wear this fucking things for five minutes more I would've just ripped it off." She remembered her messy sleeves. "Do you have something I can take this makeup off with? Obviously, I tried already, but it just doesn't work."

"You can try my fountain!" Jyushi chirped, his wing fluttering excitedly. A flash of heat lightning above them made all four friends flinch, peering into the dark sky and accepting that they probably should get going.

Ichi backed up hurriedly, gesturing for them to follow him. "Come on. There's no time." He whirled on his heel, his dress flowing behind him, Jyushi jumping up to be able to fly above and offer more room for the others to catch up.

141 hours remained.


	15. One to Go

"Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and your Savior?"

"Y-Yes! Of course!"

"Then as you dedicate yourself to Him, upon your confession of your obedience, I baptize you, sister, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

Karamatsu dipped the hysteric woman underwater, this entire thing feeling like clockwork at that point. People who misunderstood that baptism wasn't necessary to ascend to heaven rushed to the church at the first sign of the reddening of the water, pleading that they be cleansed of sin and dunked underwater. Choromatsu's lake didn't seem to be infected with the crimson, so he brought them there that way they could be immersed. He had been doing this for hours.

Todomatsu, still anxious from dealing with the demanding churchgoers, shook at the sight of all of the people. He had no idea why they had needed him to leave and find Kara with them, but seeing Totoko again sure was a surprise- even more so, because all they would tell him was that she was a demon that returned from Hell.

"This is really bad, isn't it?" He could make out the outline of Totoko's wings through Ichimatsu's sweatshirt, the leathery appendages shoved uncomfortably under the cotton. "And we aren't even gonna get to spend time with Karamatsu nii-san before we all die because he's gonna have to be doing this..."

Ichi cast him a glance. "Not necessarily. The rush'll start to die down. Then we'll be able to see Choromatsu too. Maybe he'll know how to fix this."

Chibita and Totoko snapped their heads in his direction. " _Ehhhhh?! Choromatsu?!_ "

"Oh yeah, he lives in the bottom of the lake and answers prayers." Totty clicked his tongue. "But he can't come to the surface right now because he'd scare everyone since he's very clearly an assistant of God." That was the same reason they pretty much had to tether Jyushimatsu to his fountain in the Yellow Yard; he would've gotten excited and tried to follow them if they didn't make sure he stayed there.

Chibita's head spun. Did everyone who ever fucking died come back to life in some way or another? And the way the brothers just shrugged it off, too! If it were him, he would still be in awe at the fact that their sick older brother could _breathe underwater_ and was reborn into some high-up religious position. The Matsunos were fucking crazy. Always were, always will be.

"I..." Totoko trailed off, running a hand through her hair that wasn't hidden under the tan beanie. For the first time in years, she actually felt like she looked normal. "I can't believe what a day this has been so far."

"Me either, honestly," Chibita agreed, "Me either."

Ichimatsu strode into the clearing, cutting in the front of the line. Mothers had their crying children clinging to their legs, desperate to get them immersed before they all died. The other three followed close behind, Totoko ready to throw up in the fear that someone would see through her disguise. Todo must've realized this, because he moved behind her to block her back with his body.

Kara wiped his hands on his pants, looking at Ichi's reflection in the water. "Ah, brother, I really can't-" The fourth son stepped to the side, allowing Totoko to be visible instead. Kara whirled around, the hat on his head nearly falling off. "Totoko-chan?! I- What a surprise to see you!"

"And Chibita," Totty added, Karamatsu leaning to the side to see past them. He chuckled awkwardly at the fact that he was too short to be spotted at first.

"Ah! Hello..." He waved, but it was very clear that he was trying to convey his need to get back to what he was doing.

"Do you have maybe fifteen minutes?" Totoko asked, scritching at her hairline under the beanie. It was uncomfortable with her horns, which were nearly visible under the fabric where they were poking through.

"Not really; I'm sorry," Kara gestured for the next person to approach him, "The Lambs of God need my assistance-"

"-That wasn't a question, really." Ichimatsu interjected. Kara stopped, confused.

"We're stealing you anyway." Totty added, the four of them grabbing him and pulling him towards the woods. The line of churchgoers yelled out at them in protest with profanities and everything in between.

Kara struggled against them. "Seriously- I don't really have the time, I need to be-"

He was shoved into a briar by the nun and the rest of them followed after him, making sure they were alone before Totoko explained the ordeal for the third time that day.

...

Kara and Todo hung onto each other, Totty blubbering into tears and withholding his role as the crybaby of the family. (Although he had good reason.) Kara's eyes remained dry, overwhelmed with disbelief.

"I can't believe it..." He squeaked, trying to shut out the visuals of what he had seen over his mother's shoulder all those years ago. "But I... We just visited his grave on our birthday... You mean his body's not even in there...?"

Totoko pinched her eyebrows, shaking her head. "Huh? No, it's definitely in there, I think. I think they might've given him another body...?" She brought her hand to her chin, squinting. " _But..._ The wound was still there, and I think if they gave him another body then they would've gotten rid of it...? I don't know then." She lifted her head, not even realizing what she had done. The mentioning of the fatal bullet collapsed Kara's lungs, the second eldest beginning to hyperventilate in remembrance.

"Shh, shh, nii-san, it's alright," Totty cooed, shifting his attention from himself to the traumatized man, patting his back. Totoko shrunk. She had completely forgotten; now that she was the biggest ass in the world, she toyed with her hair, unsure of what to say.

"Karamatsu, you heard Totoko, he's okay. It didn't keep him down for very long at all. He's alright, Kara, breathe." Ichi mumbled in an attempt to make his older brother feel better, who tugged at the collar of his shirt in search of cool air. Unfortunately for him, the temperature just kept rising.

"Oi, your brother's right," Chibita chimed in, crossing his arms, "He's alright. He's not dead, Karamatsu; you can relax a little."

The blue brother nodded in acknowledgement of everyone, but he still gasped and struggled for air, finally regaining some control. He slumped over, allowing himself to calm down until he was just breathing heavily.

"There's no way to stop him?" Totty frowned. Totoko shrugged.

"I have no idea. I'd like to think so, but as far as I know, we're all heading out in thirteen days." The ring on her finger was distressingly tight. She wiggled it around in an attempt to make it more bearable, but it didn't do much.

"Choromatsu might know..." Totty nudged Kara, who clutched the cross around his neck in recovery. "Nii-san, you need to hurry and make sure that these people are satisfied so they can leave the lake."

"Yes, yes, my dear Totty, I'm aware," Kara nodded, standing up with weak legs, "That's what I'm _trying_ to do. That's why I told you that I have no time. But..." He gave a small smile to Totoko. "I'm glad that you've told me. What a crazy thing."

Chibita tilted his head towards the lake. "Ya know, I think we can all talk about this once everybody's been dealt with."

Kara looked at him for a minute before nodding firmly, a grin on his face. With one last wipe of his eyes, he wormed out of the brush, pricking thorns out of his skin as he walked back to the crowd. Ichimatsu groaned.

"If Osomatsu was generous enough, he would just end it already," he grimaced, inching towards ripping his veil off of his head, "This heat's unbearable."

"He wants to wait until everyone's started killing each other or heat strokes and whatever have dwindled the population first before he sends everyone over to really start fucking shit up." Totoko took the beanie off in the privacy, enjoying the air that got to her horns. "To make it easier."

"Goddammit." Ichi mumbled, the rest just leaving him be. They figured it would be best if they sat and waited the rush out.

Totoko laid back on the dead leaves and twigs, not enjoying the bones in her wings getting crushed even worse, but it felt nicer than just sitting upright and putting a strain on her back.

This was a real pain in the ass. She should've never agreed to cross.


	16. Suspicions

"Ah... I suspected as much." Choromatsu crossed his arms and frowned at his reflection, the ripples from the water skippers distorting his image.

" _Ehhhhh?!_ " The four brothers leant forward on the dock, peering into his face.

"How could you have possibly predicted that Osomatsu was the King of Hell?!" Ichimatsu spat, ESP Kitty bounding up to sit on his shoulder with a dissatisfied mew echoing that of his owner.

"You Mary Sue! Why didn't you tell us?!" Totty added.

"Little brother, I must say that I'm shocked that you've withheld this from us," Kara stressed.

"Nii-san!" Jyushi cried disappointedly. Choromatsu held his hands up, his bracelets rustling in the night wind that was picking up. The blistering heat remained and continued getting hotter.

"You didn't let me finish! So quick to disagree..." Choro retorted, fixing his crown with pretension. He cast his glance over to Totoko and Chibita, who were behind the siblings and looking out past their bodies. Neither of them really could believe how they were treating the goddess, having previously watched him die (save for Jyushi), but then again, if they had been reunited for a couple of years the ties they used to have may have rebound completely.

"What I was _going_ to say-thank you for listening to me and not interrupting, you two-was that I receive prayers for Osomatsu all the time that I'm unable to send him because I can't pinpoint his location. I thought that maybe he was still stuck in purgatory; the back of my mind echoed that he might have wound up in Hell." Choro blew out a sigh, his koi brushing up against his legs. "I'm disappointed in him. He knew better than that."

"He told me that he did it because he was scared and afraid of death," Totoko replied, squeezing her way past Todomatsu to stand at the end of the dock. The brothers realized that they probably weren't going to be able to argue with the third son anymore and backed off, giving her space.

"And that makes sense," Chibita walked up next to her, wanting to feel important to the whole situation too, "I mean, the boy was only ten."

"Yes, but while it makes sense, he was always so superstitious of everything that I'd have definitely thought he'd have picked heaven rather than subject himself to demons and everything of the like." Choro rubbed his temples, a troubled look that the two of them couldn't place washing over his face.

After all, wasn't that how he got himself killed?

...

"Choromatsu."

No response earned Choro another prod.

"Choro?"

A groan rumbled from under the blankets, and sliding his hands under his pillow, Choro wrapped it around his head, turning his back to their older brother.

"Osomatsu, go to bed."

"I'm gonna go and see if teke-teke is real. Come with me!"

This was enough to get the third son to uncover his head and prop himself up on his elbows, his face contorted in some sort of painful expression.

" _What?_ "

"Let's go!" Oso tugged on his arm, but it was swiftly ripped away.

"Do you have a deathwish?! Why are you caring about this just now? We've been out late so many times that if she was real, we'd have been mincemeat a long time ago!"

The teeth of a coy smirk glinted the reflection of the blue moonlight that crept in through the window.

"Why, Choromatsu? Are you scaaaared?"

"W-What?! No, of course not!" A shaky hand tore through his slick black hair like a comb. "I just think it's stupid! Urban legends are nonsense and you know it!" Choro's eyes darted over to the rest of the brothers, all sleeping peacefully in their futons. "You're gonna make me wake up the others if you don't leave me alone-!"

"Okay, okay, calm down, will you?" Osomatsu stood up, brushing under his nose with his index finger. "I'll just go by myself. No big deal. But if I don't happen to come home tonight..." He stuck his thumbs in his ears and pulled the corners of his mouth wide open with his pinkies, lolling his tongue out and crossing his eyes. He waggled his fingers and wavered his voice " _I fell victim to the half-lady!_ " Laughing, he bugged his eyes. " _Teke-teke-teke-teke-teke!_ "

Choromatsu, unimpressed, patted his pillow with drained eyes. "Whatever, Oso." He mumbled, laying his head back down and closing his eyes. Osomatsu opened the window and Choro could feel the chill of the wind creep into his futon, overloading him with shivers. He practically threw himself under his blankets, scratching around to find a small tear where he could peek through.

One leg out the window, the eldest brother froze and turned at the sound of Choro's voice. "You do realize that only _you_ would do this sort of thing, right?"

Osomatsu rolled his eyes jokingly and shrugged at his brother. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." He climbed out of the window and prepared to close it, grinning inside at him. "See ya later."

"Bye."

Choro hadn't had any idea that their goodbye would be permanent.

...

"...matsu?"

"Huh?"

"We were talking to you." Totty had his hands on his girlish hips, his candlesticks sitting on the dock. Between the moon, Jyushi's glow, and that, the area was lit up quite nicely. Choromatsu nodded, running a hand through his hair with a hard swallow.

"Sorry, I uh..." He cleared his throat, sheepishly eyeing a lilypad. "...Sorry."

"It's alright," Totoko accepted, preparing to talk again. "I was just asking if you had any idea how to stop this whole ordeal?"

"I don't," Choromatsu admitted, his brothers letting out collective sighs of lost hope. "Although, I have an idea on how we can save _him._ "

Everyone's jaw fell and they leaned in. Todomatsu grabbed ahold of Kara's arm in anticipation and Jyushimatsu draped his wings around the three of them. Totoko and Chibita looked at each other for a split second before turning back to the goddess.

"So?! What is it?!" Chibita cried, balling his fists with a determined smirk on his face. "Speak up, waterboy!"

Choro moved closer to the dock, the vine shackles around his ankles uncomfortable and itchy now that they were being pulled on. "Totoko-chan, give me your hand."

The woman made a face, but hesitantly extended her arm anyway. "Uh... why?"

"Can you kneel? Be careful; wood's splintered."

Totoko slowly got onto her knees, her hand feeling small in Choromatsu's. "I mean, okay, but I don't understand why?"

Wordlessly, the goddess bent down and scooped some of the lake water in his hand, tilting it gently onto Totoko's skin. An audible sizzle was heard over the smell of burning flesh, and the Queen let out a scream, ripping her hand away. Tears welled in her eyes as the hole in her skin smoked.

" _What the_ fuck, _Choromatsu?!_ " She screeched, licking the wound in an attempt to slow the stinging. Chibita peered over her shoulder, eyes bugged wide, and Kara backed away with his arms outstretched to take his brothers with him. The angel panicked, frantically looking at the water and the woman back and forth.

"A-Ah, I don't think I can heal you!" Jyushi sputtered, "I could try to use the lake water but you're allergic so I don't want to! But I need water to do it!" With a whimper, he brought his hands to his head.

"Non non, little Jyushimatsu, I don't think she's allergic..." Kara gulped, awaiting Choromatsu's verdict.

Choro nodded, Totoko groaning in pain with a tight grip on her wrist. "It's not an allergy. That is the direct result of the evil contained within her body contrasting the holiness of the lake water. My lake is special. It cleanses sins." He wrung his hands shyly. "I'm super sorry that I had to do that, Totoko-chan. But this confirms my suspicions. If you can manage to lure Osomatsu into my lake, I can suck him under the water and drown him."

" _What?_ " Chibita perplexed, "I thought we were trying to _save_ him, not drown him!"

"Once again, you didn't let me _finish..._ " Choromatsu chided, annoyed with the others' ignorance to the situation. "If he breathes in the water, it'll cleanse him all at once and I would imagine that he would lose his demonic decorations and become normal again. We'd then be able to spend the remaining week of our lives with him as... as a family."

Ichimatsu rubbed circles into Jyushimatsu's arm with his thumb after feeling him squirm uncomfortably behind him. The angel was completely silent and his older brother prayed that he wasn't reliving struggling in the riptide upon the mentionings of drowning.

"Wait, you mean I can get rid of these stupid ass wings...?" Totoko inquired, the burning in her hand stinging a little less with the coat of saliva. The goddess nodded.

"Yes. But it would involve a little bit of pain," he winced, an awkward smile on his face. "If you don't mind, may I see them? I'm curious. You've hidden them quite well."

"Oh. Yeah, sure." Totoko popped her hands into Ichi's hoodie's sleeves, carefully with the one as to not aggravate the wound. Choro let out a stutter.

"B-But wait! You have something on under that besides a bra, right?" His face was bright red and suddenly everyone remembered the intense crush he always had on the girl. "I-I-I wouldn't want you t-to... t-to feel...!" He choked and Totty laughed at him.

Totoko couldn't help but smile endearingly at the innocent little infatuation - which was a lot nicer than Osomatsu's straightforwardness - and nodded. "Yeah, don't worry." A wide, cheshire cat-esque grin slowly spread across Ichimatsu's face.

The Queen wiggled out of the hoodie, pulling it over her head as her wings popped out of the constraints of the thick cotton. There were wide holes cut in the back of her shirt to allow room for them to move, which also happened to be Kara's narcissistic tank top that had his face plastered on the front of it. Ichi couldn't suppress his amusement anymore and broke into a loud cackle that rumbled from the bottom of his belly. Kara's heart skipped a beat.

"Oh, I-Ichimatsu, not that I mind because it's for our dear friend, but out of the clothes you could've defaced beyond no return, you chose that...?"

"You didn't need it." Ichi snorted bluntly, drinking up the whole moment. Todomatsu placed a hand in front of his mouth, giggling.

"Oh..." Kara mumbled in defeat, hanging his head and scratching his arm. Totoko pulled her tail out from the back of Ichi's sweatpants and chuckled embarrassingly.

"I like it, Karamatsu; I think it's..." She grimaced. "It's stylish."

Chibita leant closer to her, mumbling, "You can't really."

"Sh _ush,_ I'm trying to make him feel better." She whispered poorly. Ichi started laughing again, Totty joining in, and Jyushi just rubbed his chin, not sure of what to say. Kara felt the metaphorical arrows pierce right into his organs. Why did he have to be the butt of all their jokes...?

"Wow, that's crazy!" Choro loudly commented, pointing at her wings in an attempt to get the attention off of his older brother. Totoko looked back over and pulled the tan beanie off of her head, hair sticking out in different directions. She tossed it over to its owner, who caught it and draped it over his arm, smiling at the nostalgia associated with it. It smelled like static electricity.

"They're a pain in the ass though," Totoko turned around, nearly sweeping Chibita off of the deck with the appendages. "I only used them for the first time today."

The goddess reached out, gliding a hand over the leather. The bones in her wings twitched at the touch, shifting and moving visibly under the crimson skin.

"Do you want to get rid of them...?" Choro asked, watching her arrowed tail flick around her ankles. He could see the tips of her horns over her head. She crossed her arms, sighing in genuine thought. Jyushimatsu quietly shook and Ichi and Totty placed their hands on his arms to ground him.

"It sounds nice," she started, "But I think I should hang onto them until we get Osomatsu. What if I need them, you know?"

Choro nodded even though she couldn't see it, retracting his hand back next to him. Heat lightning flashed above them.

"Of course." He took note of the huddled siblings at one side of the dock, watching Choro as if waiting for something. The green brother cleared his throat.

"I think it's getting kind of late. You should head back to the church and sleep for the night, and we can talk about this tomorrow." Everyone shifted at his words, preparing to leave the dock. "But if I were you, I would begin devising a plan as to how you're going to get him down here. I would leave a day early that way it gives you some elbow room in case things go wrong or he comes earlier than expected."

Totoko nodded, slipping the hoodie back on, wrestling her wings. "We have a couple of days to figure it out. I think it'll be alright."

They all said their goodnights and Kara led them back to the church, using Todo's candles and Jyushi as guidelights. The priest realized that chances were, most of the congregation wasn't going to go home, spending their last days praying to God, so he offered them the nave to sleep in. They all were still there, Totty setting up his candle trail before going to see Choro so they'd be able to see once the night fell. They all snuck in undetected and wound down the mirror's hallway. Todomatsu didn't acknowledge it and Totoko stared into it in search of anything familiar.

"Oh! Totoko-chan!" Jyushi blurted, whirling around and grabbing her hand. The helpless woman allowed herself to be dragged along, pulled into the Yellow Yard. Excitedly, he led her towards the fountain.

"Hand please!"

The Queen rolled up her sleeve, holding out her chemical burn. Jyushi dipped his hands in the endlessly pouring water and gently pressed his thumbs against her wound, the girl flinching at the sting at first. As her skin bubbled and pulled itself back together, she marvelled at it wordlessly. Jyushi laughed.

"All fixed!" He exclaimed.

Totoko lifted her hand, running her finger over where the hole was. No bump whatsoever.

"Jyushimatsu, you should bottle some of that and carry it on your hip," Ichi noted from the doorway, Totoko spinning around having not realized he was there. The angel gasped.

"Nii-san, you're right! Do we have a bottle?"

"I'm sure. Check the kitchen."

"Hai, haaaaaaai!"

Ichi stepped out of the way as Jyushi bowled through the doorway, speeding off and accidentally blowing out a couple of Totty's candles with the wind. Ichi tilted his head towards the hallway.

"Come on. Everybody's in our bedroom."

...

Though it would've been nice to sleep, Totoko found herself sitting awake with her back against the wall all night. Chibita was sitting by the windowsill, resting his chin against his palm and his eyelids fluttering tiredly; both of them focused their attention on the center of the room, where the four brothers huddled close together in sleep, feet pressed against faces and arms invading spaces. (Kara was being smothered with a wing.) It looked entirely uncomfortable, yet their closeness didn't seem to faze them. They had all laid down that way; the clump was no accident.

Of course, Kara had offered Totoko and Chibita futons of their own, which they accepted out of politeness. At first, they had planned on sleeping, but the image in front of them kept them awake.

They caught each other's eyes across the room and knew exactly what the other was thinking.

They'd seen this before.


	17. Worm-Eaten Innocence

The two kids sat down on the back step, glancing up at the white moon. It reminded them of the lantern that hung on the front porch.

Totoko was the first to speak, ignoring her jet black hair blowing in her face. "Oh, Chibita-kun, I wish this never happened..."

"Me neither," the much smaller of the two concurred, squeaky voice unintentionally loud, "I can't believe it. It all seems so... not real."

Totoko nodded. It really didn't. It also didn't seem real how the usually loud and rambunctious brothers were silenced and almost drugged by the death of their big brother, leaning on each other with emotionless faces as if they were ragdolls, the only noise coming out of their mouths the occasional sigh. Every once and awhile, one of them would break out into howls, the others falling suit until they either cried themselves to sleep or became numb again. Chibita and Totoko were around to try and make them feel better-almost as if things were completely normal-but it was hard for them to do that when nobody was talking. A couple of days had passed already and not much had changed. The already-gaping holes in their own hearts were starting to worsen.

"Do you think it really was an accident, Chibita?"

"Huh?"

"When those men shot him in the street." Totoko breathed in shakily. "Do you think it really was a stray bullet?"

"I hope so." Chibita threw his elbows onto his knees and plunged his chin into his hands. "Can you imagine how scared Osomatsu must've been if it wasn't...?"

Totoko sniffled, crossing one leg over the other. "I can't." They were silent for a while, a stray dog's barking in the distance echoing in their ears. Just earlier that day he had spoken to the both of them; he and Totoko went for mochi and Chibita had a conversation with him about ballet alongside Iyami. If they had any idea that was going to be the last time they ever talked, both of them would've refused to leave his side and/or let him leave his house for weeks.

"What are you gonna do Chibita?"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"You live in those pipes, don't you?" Chibita nodded and Totoko rested her cheek on her fist worriedly, looking in his direction. "If people like that are out at night, aren't you scared that...?" She swallowed hard. She didn't want to say it. Luckily, the younger of the two put the pieces together.

"Nah." Chibita kicked his feet, his heels knocking against the wood every so often. "I never leave them once it's been dark for a while. Besides, it's not like if somethin' ever happened to me that it would be very noticeable."

" _Ah-!_ Chibita?!"

He let out a laugh with the wave of his hand. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" Was he? Half-kidding, probably. Osomatsu made a name for himself, being the 'leader' of the infamous sextuplets and all. Everyone loved him. Chibita was just known as that one shrimp of a kid who loved food and hung around that leech who conned people out of their money. His disappearance would be seldom noticed and what was would likely be celebrated.

He hated that he was pretty much unable to take care of himself because of his age, but he knew that one day, he'd be fine! He'd be an excellent cook and would make tens of thousands of yen a day off of oden! He just had to get there first. And if that meant he had to be a bit of a nuisance to everyone for a while, then so be it.

But for the moment, he was totally content cooking for the Matsunos while Matsuyo laid around in lament. The poor lady understandably hardly moved.

Totoko stood up, stretching her arms. "It's cold out here. We should go back in, huh?"

Chibita nodded, standing up himself (which added hardly no height). Their shoes clicked quietly on the wood as they let themselves in, finding their way through the darkness to the sextuplets' bedroom. Their futons were rolled out, yet all five of them were piled into Osomatsu's, hanging onto each other as they breathed in sync. Their noses were all stuffed and their throats scratchy, so every once and awhile, you could hear a uncomfortable inhalation that dried out their mouths over time.

The two of them remained in the doorway, watching the grieving brothers quietly. It was sad to see them like this. They should've never had to go through what they were.

"I hope wherever Osomatsu-kun is, he's happy," Totoko sighed, wringing her hands and looking at the floor. Chibita nudged her, a pained smile on his face.

"Just one more angel in heaven to help out, right?"


	18. Putty

"Oh, Go- gosh, nii-san, I'm so nervous; I feel like I'm gonna hurl!"

"Dearest little Todomatsu, everything will be okay!" Kara pulled his anxious brother into a hug, hand on the back of his head, but knew damn well that this was very capable of being the last time they'd all ever see each other. Totoko wrestled Ichimatsu's hoodie, the latter bending her wings down and pressing them against her back in an attempt to make them stay under easier. Jyushimatsu was nearby, floating around and doing lazy flips in the air in patience.

"All you'll need to do is lure Osomatsu into Choro's lake. And since he seems to be looking for exclusively Totoko, she'll be able to do most of the work. You're just pretty much moral support." Karamatsu broke the embrace and left his hands on his shoulders. "You're good at that, Totty."

The youngest made a face. "Uh, no I'm not. I'm a bitch."

Kara averted his eyes, not sure of what to say, because he was absolutely right. Ichimatsu let out a guffaw and snorted, "Glad you've accepted it!"

"Oi, that sucks major ass that you can't come along with us, Karaboy," Chibita interrupted, not wanting precious moments to be wasted in tension, "You don't think you could leave the church even for just a day or somethin'?"

"Ah, Chibita..." Kara began to flash the finger guns and bishounen eyes, and Totty decided he was done with him and moved off to join the others, "I would love to, but I'm afraid the Lambs of God need me. I keep them anchored, their light in the dark, their shepherd-"

"-Okay, okay, I get it. You don't have to... put yourself through all that." Chibita held up his hands and chuckled awkwardly. Why did he insist on putting on a show?

"I just wish there was a way to be able to talk to you all even while I'm here. Totty got rid of his cell years ago." Kara crossed his arms with a disappointed frown. Whispering, he added, "I really don't have a good feeling about this at all."

"Me neither," Chibita concurred, "But then again, the world itself is endin' altogether in eight days, so if anythin' happens to us, then we just got a head start." Man, the mood had been really somber, but acceptance was key, he supposed.

"Guys-" Choromatsu urgently called, drawing everyone's sudden attention, "The plates- they're shifting again!"

Now practiced in this, Ichi grabbed ESP Kitty and hugged him to his chest, Totoko tore the hoodie off over her head to free her wings, and Jyushi hit the ground, the two of them scooping one person into each arm before taking to the air, the ground rumbling shortly thereafter. The noise got louder and the shaking grew worse, Choromatsu plunging himself underwater so he could be in fairly calm conditions compared to the violent waves on the surface. Ichimatsu squeezed the frightened cat even tighter, who squirmed in his arms uncomfortably and tried to jump down.

"This was all predicted!" Karamatsu bellowed over the thundering noise from the earth, "This was all in the Bible. Although everything was supposed to happen over the course of a couple years, not thirteen days."

Totoko shrugged, Todomatsu flinching at the sudden movement and clawing to hold onto her tighter. "Osomatsu's impatient. There's no way in hell he would've waited that long."

"Always was!" Jyushimatsu called out, feeling helpful by contributing to the conversation. The earthquake began to settle down, and once reassured, the angel and the demon touched back down and let the others free from their grips. The ground was soaking wet from where the water was spilling out of the lake from the aggressive movement.

"Fuck, Todomatsu, you really ripped into my damn neck," Totoko complained, rubbing her skin where it bled slightly. The pink brother turned red, tugging onto his hat.

"S-Sorry, I was scared..."

Choromatsu resurfaced, looking around for any damage. "Is everyone alright?"

"Totty fucked Totoko's neck up," Ichi noted.

"Just scratches!" Todomatsu defended himself.

"Oso really needs to lay off of the quakes for a while," Choro frowned, his mouth at its angle, "This is the third one since yesterday afternoon!"

"I don't think he's the one doing that," Totoko explained, picking up the sopping hoodie off of the ground and trying to wring it out the best to her ability. "Everything's just happening on its own. He's probably preparing to cross right now."

"Oh, I see. Did he happen to say what _time_ he planned to cross?"

"Nope. That's why we wanna leave a day early."

"Ah, that makes complete sense now!" Choro snapped his fingers with a grin and a nod. "Good thinking. And you'll have to walk there, and you have to be prepared in case something goes wrong, so that's definitely a good idea. Are you almost ready to go?"

Totoko shrugged her shoulders backwards, her wings completely concealed. Totty handed her the beanie to put over her horns and he tucked her tail into her pants for her.

"If everybody else is ready, I am," she addressed, looking around. "Jyushi, do you have your vial?"

"Right here!" The sunshine boy exclaimed, popping his hip out to really showcase the shampoo bottle full of water from his fountain in case he needed to heal. Karamatsu didn't have any glass bottles like Ichimatsu had suggested, but they had just emptied that one. It worked. Plus, it was bigger than a little tiny one, which meant it held more! For more healing! Yahoo! Hustle, hustle!

Totty's knees started to shake and Ichi felt his anxiety stir in his chest, having yet to surface. They really were going to do this, weren't they?

Stressed, Choro ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, so are we absolutely sure we know how we're going to pull this off?"

Totoko gave a wave of her hand, the blood gem on her finger glinting in the red sun. "Yes, of course. We've went over it how many times now?"

The goddess smiled apologetically. "Ah, please, Totoko-chan; humor me. I want to make sure that this has as little holes as possible. We only get one chance."

Rolling her eyes for show, the Queen popped her hands on her hips. "We're gonna meet him at the mirror. The others are going to be out of sight, so he's going to see me when he crosses; I'm going to dodge anything he does and slyly lead him all the way down the mountain to here. The others will cause distractions with the bat, bow and arrow, or candles if I come across trouble. When he gets here, I have to manage to get him to the water, where you'll take it from there."

"Oh, Totoko, you forgot about the gun." Ichi pointed out, lifting his dress on the side to reveal the holster on his hip. The woman clicked her tongue with a nod.

"Ohhhhh yeah. And the gun. The gun is a distraction too."

Kara cast an uncomfortable glance in his direction but didn't say anything. He started to involuntarily squirm.

"Okay, good. So now that's-"

"-You really don't need the gun."

Everyone turned around, confused. Karamatsu grabbed the seams of his pants, clenching them so tightly his knuckles went tightly. Ichi realized it was him who was being addressed and leant forward, pinching his eyebrows.

"What?"

"You don't need the gun."

"Uh, yeah I do? It's literally the best distraction out of all of them."

"What defines as a "distraction"? What _is_ a distraction?" Kara's shoulders trembled, anger bubbling. "You don't need the goddamned gun. The others are plenty."

Ichi, like always, approached him, willing to argue. "You're not even coming along, so why do you care? It's fine. You're not gonna be one of the ones fighting him because you get to kick back and sit around with your hands clasped, praying for a deus ex machina that you know isn't coming, so-"

" _-The other items are to use if something goes sour! All of us know it but won't talk about the damn elephant in the room! Are you going to fucking shoot him?! Are you going to shoot him for a second time in his life?!_ "

"Hey, Karamatsu, calm down," Chibita placed a hand on his arm, genuinely nervous at how the typically lenient second born was shaking in fury, his teeth clenched so tight he thought they might break. Ichi gave Kara a glare that was cold enough to freeze him even in the blistering heat, and Jyushimatsu put his hands on his shoulders.

"Nii-san, breathe for a minute, okay?" The angel requested, the nun's muscles loosening as to ease his little brother. He and Karamatsu locked eyes, waiting to see who would break the stare first; even if neither wanted to acknowledge it, they both knew there was truth in both of their arguments. They huffed with their chests out in attempts to intimidate the other.

"A-Ah, here, how about this?" Choro held out his hands at his sides as if holding something in each one. "Ichi is going to bring the gun with him, but he's not going to use it."

Ichi shot a look over in his direction, but it didn't even rile the goddess in the slightest. The older brother nodded at him, eyebrows raised as if to confirm that he heard correctly. "You won't."

"How do you know he won't?" The angered priest spat, Totoko and Todomatsu refusing to involve themselves. Choromatsu adjusted his crown.

"Because, Ichimatsu's our little brother and we should trust him. He's not going to use the gun on anyone." He crossed his arms. "Right, Ichi?"

Pouting, he puffed his cheeks with crossed arms, mumbling, "I guess."

"There. Don't fight with each other; not now." Choro combed through his hair. "The whole reason we're doing this at all is so we can be a family again."

Totoko cleared her throat to divert the attention. "Hey, uh, I don't want to seem like a pain in the ass, but we should probably get moving. The more we stand around the less time we have to make sure everything's perfect."

Karamatsu pushed his hat into spot where it was supposed to be. "...You're right."

"We need to grab the bag of supplies inside, though," Totty remarked.

"That's fine, we can just run through there and I can escort you out through the nave." Kara was solemn. He tried not to notice the lump in his throat and how everyone else sounded like he was listening underwater.

"Jyushimatsu, Ichimatsu, Todomatsu, come here." Choro called out, moving to the water's edge past the dock. The three of them walked over, their shoes (or lack thereof) squishing against the soggy ground. The waves were still fairly big, crashing onto the land. The goddess threw his arms around all of them and pulled them close, the brothers hanging onto him tight.

"I love you guys," Choromatsu spoke with a tight voice. Over his shoulders, he heard a chorus of "I love you too[, nii-san]". After what seemed like an eternity, they let each other go, each brother feeling emptier for some reason.

"Stay safe," the third son advised as they went back to the others, "I know I really _shouldn't,_ but I'll prioritize answering any prayers for you regardless if they're received first or not. I'm sure Karamatsu is going to do so, right?"

The priest nodded. "Of course."

"Don't forget the plan!" Choro nagged, concerned, as they all were walking away, taking in the sight of his baby brothers in very real fear that he would never see them again. He let his arms fall to his sides, the lake water finally calm enough for him to wade back to the middle. His heart racing in nervousness for them but also anticipation at the possibility of reuniting with his best friend, he returned to the bottom of the lake to wait.

...

"I have it."

Todo walked back up the hallway, a large black back slung over his shoulder. In his other hand was his candlestick, which he'd forgotten he needed to bring. They all congregated in front of the Yellow Yard, not wanting to say goodbye.

"I'll probably be swarmed the first minute I walk into the nave, so we should probably bid farewell here." Kara explained. The others agreed, Chibita and Totoko glancing quite obviously at the trio of brothers that would be going with them. They stepped to the side.

Todomatsu was the first to speak. "Bye, Karamatsu nii-san."

Jyushimatsu followed suit. He laughed. "Nii-san, we'll see you soon!"

Ichi, still somewhat irked from earlier, mumbled, "Bye, Shittymatsu."

Kara pulled them all in, Totty feeling like he wanted to cry. Obviously, he loved them all equally, but the youngest always felt closer to Karamatsu, even before Osomatsu died. Who was to say they were going to make it back at all? They very well couldn't. And this could be the last time he'd ever get to talk to him.

"I love you, brothers." Kara murmured, the others echoing back. He could feel their hearts pound through their clothes against his sides. Good to know that at least he wasn't the only one who was worried.

Hesitantly, they all let go, Totty swiftly swiping at his eye so nobody would see. Kara looked past them at Chibita and Totoko, who smiled at him.

"See ya later, Karaboy."

"We'll see you once we've got Oso in the lake, alright?"

Kara nodded hard. "Yes. Just a matter of a day or two." He looked at his little brothers before turning to open the door to the hallway that led to the nave. Caught off guard by his silence, but not thinking much of it, the five followed after. Jyushimatsu stopped on a dime about halfway through the hallway before laughing nervously and backing up.

"I'll have to walk around..." he pointed out as his wings brushed against the walls.

"Huh?" Ichi turned around. "Why?"

He felt like an idiot when he remembered that his little brother was an angel.

"Oh... I mean, we kept your hoodie that you can put on." Ichi started back in the other direction. "Come on."

"We'll meet you all in the nave!" Jyushi yelled out excitedly, shutting the door behind him.

The remaining four just watched for a minute before Totoko threw up a hand. "What are we supposed to do in the meantime?!"

"Hang out in the front. I'm not sure if being around all this holiness at once will affect you or not, so it's best to stay by the doors where it's not as bad." Kara looked behind him as he walked for a second before whirling around back into the chaos. Almost immediately he was swallowed by a crowd of distraught churchgoers. Totty, Totoko, and Chibita were left to swim through the rest, worming their way to the front. Totoko's beanie was almost knocked off, and she dug her claws into the thick fabric to secure it.

"Excuse me, sorry!" Totty put on what Ichi liked to call his 'social face', making his voice higher for cuteness points. But nobody was really moving, so they had to shove through anyway.

"Excuse me!" He cried out again, pushing through, coming across another sea of people. Groaning, he led the way through.

"Get the _fuck_ out of the way!" He yelled this time, but in the middle of squeezing between people and looking around for an entrance, he accidentally ran directly into somebody else, the choirboy stumbling backwards and ultimately onto his ass.

"O-Oh! I'm so sorry!" The man apologized, his voice genuine, reaching down to help Todomatsu up. Totty, disgruntled, fixed his hair and took his hand, completely irritated until he looked him in the face. The man looked equally as surprised.

Totoko and Chibita swapped confused glances. Totoko twirled one of her pigtails.

"Todo, do you know this person?"

Totty looked him over again and could tell that he was doing the same.

"A-Atsushi?"

"Todomatsu-kun, what a, uh, surprise!" Atsushi smiled politely, but it was clear that the awkwardness in the air was thick enough to slice with a knife.

"What are you doing here...?" Totty had yet to let go of his hand, his mouth open in awe and his eyes lost in the other man's. Totoko wanted to scream.

"Is he serious?! Is he really serious right now?!" She screeched, shooting a glance down to Chibita. The latter shrugged.

The businessman smiled again. "Well, Totty, the world is kind of ending..."

Todomatsu's face burned. "A-Ah! Yes it is! I forgot-! _?_ " Totty grinned, embarrassed, and let his hand slip. The older man seemed to be developing wrinkles under his eyes. _Huh? But isn't Atsushi-kun only in his early thirties by now? That sort of thing happens_ that _fast?_

"I had no idea that this was the church that you and your brothers were moving into." Atsushi attempted small talk. "It's very nice. It's also very nice of you to let all of these people come here to worship."

Todomatsu blushed, memories from when they were boyfriends rushing back rather quickly. "Oh! Yeah... haha." His face went blank for a minute, having lost track of what he had been talking about. Atsushi shifted the leg he was standing on and Totty wanted to die of humiliation.

"...! _Ihaven'tseenyouinmass_!" He finally managed to blurt out. Chibita snickered, but not out of mockery. It was almost cute to see the bitchy Matsuno completely melt in front of the admittedly handsome man. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't been in that situation before.

"Oh, I myself was never a very strict churchgoer. My sister is a member here, though, and my entire family is kind of here to pray until the very end." Atsushi scratched his head. "So I guess we have a little while to hang up and catch up on the past few years, huh?"

Todomatsu's big eyes lit up like a Christmas tree and Totoko blew air out of her nose.

"Oh dear God," she mumbled, "What is he about to do?"

"Atsushi-kun~?" Todomatsu put his social face back on, placing a hand on the man's arm, the silk of his suit smooth on his skin. Atsushi nearly shivered at the contact, but kept cool on the surface.

"Yes?"

"I know it's been a really, really long time, but... would you say that you still love me?"

" _Uh- Todomatsu! I don't think that's necessary!"_ Chibita butted in, having a hard time believing but simultaneously totally believing what the sixth son was saying, but Totoko placed a hand on his head to try and keep him still.

"Hey, hey, let him do his thing," she smirked, recognizing when she used to do similar stuff. The short man shut his mouth, observing in disgust.

"I..." Atsushi stuttered, "Of course, Todomatsu. I was devastated when you told me we couldn't be together anymore. I've dated since, but it hasn't been the same."

 _Wow,_ Chibita thought, _Somebody is actually that smitten with a Matsuno?_ Then again. He cleared his throat.

 _Like putty in his hands!_ Totoko awed, _Damn, I should be taking notes._

Totty smiled widely. "Ah, Atsushi-kun, I'm so glad to hear you say that~!" He gave him puppy dog eyes. "But..." He stopped, averting his gaze and turning his head. The older man worried, reaching out and gently pulling his face back towards him.

"'But'?"

"But..."

"'But' what, Totty?"

 _Like a sneaky ass con artist! What a little shit! This is impressive, but mean! I thought this guy was the supposed love of your life?!_

"Atsushi-kun, how _much_ do you love me?"

"Oh, Todomatsu, so much." Now it was the other man who was flustered, pulling on his gold tie anxiously yet with composure. "Why do you ask? Is everything alright?"

Todomatsu hit him with one last look and that was it. Immediately he knew he was getting what he wanted but kept his excitement under the surface.

"If you love me, you would help me out with something."


	19. Eighteen Years

"That was wrong, Todomatsu."

The choirboy rolled his eyes at Chibita with a smile and unlocked the car, clicking the button on the inside to let everyone in.

"It wasn't, _really..._ he's just helping his boyfriend out!"

"You jackass, you split up five years ago." Ichi let Jyushimatsu slide into the middle, sitting behind the driver's seat and putting ESP Kitty in his lap. Totoko moved to the front seat and Chibita sat behind her. Totty clicked his seatbelt on, jingling the keys on his finger.

"We didn't _want_ to break up! Besides," he turned around to look at the nun, "I'm sure once we come back we'll have time to talk to each other again. We were totally in love. None of that's changed; not with me, anyway."

"Okay, loverboy, enough with the shit. Let's go." Totoko lounged back and crossed one leg over the other, peering over at the sextuplet. Todomatsu held the keys up, looking at all of the buttons and symbols, starting to sweat. The Queen squinted at him.

"What?"

"N-Nothing! I'm just getting ready as all-"

"-You've never driven a car before, have you?"

Todomatsu just sat there, hurriedly trying to find where the hell the ignition was. "Um..."

Totoko threw her leg back over and swung the car door open disgustedly, and Todomatsu wordlessly opened his in shame. " _Damn you!_ We could've been gone by now! Get your ass in the backseat!"

Totty stopped in front of the hood. "Wait, the backseat?"

"Chibita, come up front."

The cook hesitantly slid out, but didn't argue. Todomatsu grabbed his hat for leverage again.

"What-?! I should sit up front, this _is_ my ex-boyfriend's car!" Panicked, he looked to Chibita, clearing his throat in desperation. "Can you even sit up front without a booster seat or something? Does Iyami make you use one when he drives you around?"

The Queen snapped her head back. "What?! Chibita isn't doing anything to you; don't pick on him like that!"

Annoyed, Ichimatsu let out a roar from the inside. "Just get in the _god_ damned _car_ before I drag you all in by your hair!"

Defeated, the sixth son silently dragged his heels to the back door, squeezing inside next to the angel.

"Totty!" Jyushimatsu cried out excitedly. He ruffled his hair over his hat.

Totoko shut the door and turned the car on, admittedly a bit nervous herself having not touched the wheel of a car for years. She was probably a little rusty. Putting it into reverse, she slowly backed out of the space it was parked in. The abandoned lot was packed; parking areas blocks away from the church were totally filled from the migrating Christians. (It was a good thing they happened to run into Atsushi, too; judging by how Todomatsu and Ichimatsu were both out of breath and complaining of overheating in their church gear by the little half a mile they had to hike, just walking to Mount Fuji-then having to climb it-would've probably killed them if Totoko didn't first.) Successfully backing out, Totoko turned out onto the road, hardly putting any pressure on the pedal to get used to it again.

"Do you know how to get there from here?" Chibita asked, secretly a bit irked at Totty's comment, but chose to ignore it. Totoko tapped her nails on the steering wheel in a wave.

"I'm pretty sure; if we need to, we can just follow road signs." She reached up with one hand, adjusting the rearview to see the choirboy. "Todomatsu, has the phone gone off yet?"

Totty withdrew the un-cased iPhone, greasy with fingerprints, from the pocket of his dress. He clicked the home button and shook his head.

"No. He's probably busy."

When the businessman was fishing in his sister's bag for his car keys, he decided to ask about Todo's older brothers. Upon hearing the upsetness in his voice at how they'd have to leave Karamatsu behind, Atsushi offered to lend him his cellphone and give his sister's to Kara; after all, his whole family was at the church anyway, so who would they need to get ahold of? Totty nearly cried at the generosity after legitimately not even hinting at how he would've liked to use it like he had the car, and gave Kara the pink phone. He was supposed to call them the very second he had a free minute or two to make sure it worked.

"That's fine, we still have a little while." Totoko felt more comfortable behind the wheel and pressed on the gas a little harder. She shifted her shoulders, squirming in the seat. "I don't like how this hoodie is like, strangling my wings, though."

"I'm sure you'd be able to take it off once we hit a red light." Ichimatsu shrugged, grabbing the back of the seat to pull himself forward so she could hear him better. "There's not a lot of space in here though, so I could probably help you." He pulled the beanie off of her head to allow her horns to get air and smoothed her hair down for her. They were in a car, anyway; anybody that passed them would be too concerned about the fucking apocalypse to see the demon in the front seat.

"Ah! Nii-san! Me too, me too!" Jyushi bounced in the middle, laughing. Ichi turned around and leant back.

"Oh. Sure."

Jyushi took off Todomatsu's hat that he used to wear to the mixers all the time and tossed it into his lap, showing his halo again. He popped his arms into the sleeves of his old hoodie and bent forward, Ichi grabbing the collar. Wiggling it over his head for him, the feathery angel wings broke free from the cage of cotton and smothered the two brothers, the nun and choirboy pressing themselves against the window as to not get a mouthful of plumage. Todo annoyedly shrunk himself down while Ichi adjusted the appendages so they could be behind everyone else and no longer in the way. Jyushi squirmed wildly.

" _Thank you, Ichimatsu nii-saaaaaaaan!"_ He tried to swing his arms in appreciation, but the purple brother grabbed his wrists to stop him. The sunshine's smile grew smaller but remained, and he nodded in understanding. "Ah. There's no space..."

The sudden music of the marimba caught everyone off guard, Totty stumbling with the phone to answer it. Eagerly, he put it on speaker.

"Karamatsu nii-san?" he asked, flicking his eyes to the roof. Chibita turned around and Totoko kept glancing into the mirror. There was silence for a second.

"...Hello? Can you hear me?" The voice on the other end was audible, albeit a bit fuzzy, but he was understandable. Chibita let out a laugh of excitement.

"Loud and clear, Karaboy!"

Karamatsu laughed in return and Todomatsu felt a weight slide off of his shoulders; if they all happened to die on that mountain, at least he'd get to talk to his big brother for a little bit longer.

"How far away are you guys?"

"Uh..." Totoko hummed, trying to calculate the distance through the road signs. "We're about fifteen minutes from the church. We'll get there in probably an hour and a half." Stopping at the first traffic light that was on red, Ichimatsu hurried forward and helped the Queen wriggle through the head hole, her wings somewhat smaller than Jyushimatsu's and only slightly shoved up against the window. The one didn't even reach Chibita.

"Oh, alright, good." Judging by the muffled noise, Kara wasn't in the nave. "Looks like you'll have more than plenty of time to climb and prepare for the crossing."

"Oh yeah, definitely." Totoko agreed. Finally reaching a highway entrance, she turned onto it and picked up speed, now completely readjusted to driving.

Ichi made a face. "Karamatsu, are you in the back?"

"Yes, brother; I claimed I needed to go to the bathroom so I could break away. I can't talk for very long, however."

"That's fine," Totty interjected, "You don't necessarily have to call us, either; you can text, you know."

"Ah! I completely forgot!" They could hear Kara snap his fingers on the other line. "That'd definitely be easier, dearest Todomatsu! I'll still call you every once and awhile."

"Sure, Kara."

He sighed loudly. "Alright, little brother, I'll have to go now. We've been having an influx of people since you left and I should probably get out there before it gets too chaotic."

"Okay." Todo held the phone out in front of him.

"Bye, Karamatsu," everyone chorused, the priest laughing heartily.

"Goodbye, my friends!" he cried dramatically, "Until we speak again..."

Todo made a face, squinting at the phone. He shrugged, dropping it into his lap. "He hung up already."

"Uh... does he have to be that painful?" Totoko winced, switching lanes.

" _Yes."_ The others groaned in unison, returning to their original spots where they had been sitting before. After that, there was silence for a while, save for the ping of a text message.

 **Keiko** (now): _Brother! Please show this to Ichimatsu!_

 **Keiko** (now): _^ↀᴥↀ^_

Jyushimatsu and Ichimatsu wound up falling asleep on each other's shoulders, Totty watching the cars pass by, bored, and Chibita just lounged in the passenger seat, talking about whatever with Totoko. However, Jyushimatsu woke up when he heard the Queen yell out something, slamming her hands on the steering wheel. The sudden lightness awoke Ichimatsu and they both rubbed their eyes.

"What...?" Ichi mumbled.

"Look!" Totoko held her hand out in front of her, the sound of hundreds of honking horns enough to make the three brothers in the back meet in the middle to lean forward.

"Shit, we probably should've expected this, it being the apocalypse and all." Totty wrestled with the tight collar of his dress, which was strangling him again. Totoko rested her head on the wheel.

"I really hope this doesn't drag us behind." She glanced back. "Todo, didn't you climb Mount Fuji a couple years before Choromatsu died?"

The boy lit up. "Ah! I totally forgot about that!"

"How long did it take you?" The car inched forward before stopping again.

"Well, it all depends on the trail you take. The one Atsushi and I took was about five hours one way."

Chibita shifted the bag of supplies in his lap. "It's almost six at night now... how did you get down the mountain so fast when _you_ crossed over, Totoko?"

"I hauled my ass down fueled by nothing but anger and determination," she put it bluntly, shrugging her shoulders, "I might've fallen like, 3,000 times, but I was completely down in about an hour and a half."

The cook sulked. "Oi, there's no way we'll be able to make it up in that amount of time; climbing takes more effort!" He threw his arms across his chest. " _Dammit!"_

Totoko pulled the car a bit further up. It was a nice car; it was baby blue and smelled like leather on the inside. Atsushi was definitely rolling in it.

"Nii-san never said what time he was coming over?" Jyushi inquired, almost making it sound like Osomatsu was meeting them for dinner instead of to check and see if Armageddon was in full swing.

Totoko shook her head. "No. That's why we have to get there as fast as possible. Which we're not doing." Pounding her fist against the horn, she threw her head back, groaning loudly.

Amongst everyone's talking, Ichi realized the rectangle of light that had been shining through the roof. Adjusting himself, her scooted forward, loosening the seatbelt around his hips.

"There... There's a sunroof," he murmured quietly. Nobody heard him. Anxiously, he unbuckled himself, moving to the edge of the seat. He kicked his sandals off.

"Sunroof," he managed again, but he was ignored. He stretched his arm out as far as it could go but still couldn't reach the button, having to move practically on Jyushi's lap to get there.

"Nii-san?" Jyushi flicked his eyes to him confusedly. The sunroof opened completely with a click and Ichi shifted so his legs were completely in between the seats, standing as tall as he could go and using Totoko's seat to keep himself upright. He wormed over and was in front of the angel, bringing his foot onto the back of the console. _Finally,_ somebody noticed, and Chibita shot him an odd look.

"Uh... what are you doing?" The cook coughed, a weird feeling in his gut. Wordlessly, the nun grabbed the bottom hem of his habit and pulled it upwards, unveiling the gun strapped to his leg. Chibita and Totoko recoiled at the same time, unstrapping themselves to press themselves against the windows.

" _You idiot! What the hell?!"_

"Ichimatsu, you were _told_ not to use that! What the fuck?!"

"Watch out, Jyushimatsu," Ichi calmly warned, and the angel shifted worriedly next to Totty, whose eyes were going to pop out of his head if he didn't crush it with how tightly his hands were shoved against his ears. The fourth son removed the glock, switching off the safety. He drew his attention down to the Queen, whose claws were digging into the leather of the wheel, eyes wild.

"Hey, get ready to drive."

"What?!"

"Get ready to drive."

Totoko slowly loosened her muscles and shifted to the middle of the seat, reluctantly turning her head back to traffic. Ichi boosted himself onto the console, keeping his balance with his bare feet. Squeezing his shoulders through the top, he pulled his arms up and pressed his palm (and the side of the gun) against the roof. He tried to stretch his belly through too to make it easier, but the opening was too small. Lifting the gun into the air, he pulled the trigger, the shot echoing up the highway.

Almost immediately, cars began pulling off to the side, people throwing their heads out their windows and screaming obscenities. Only one happened to realize that it was Ichimatsu doing that, and when they screeched at him, he just looked them in the eye and squeezed another one off.

Totoko, realizing what he was doing, maneuvered the car into the newly-freed space, picking up speed rather quickly. Ichi popping a few more bullets to get the last of the cars out of the way, they managed to completely make it through the mess and onto the exit they needed to get on to reach the mountain. Validation washing over him as he heard the cheers of his brothers and friends inside, Ichi's face was warm as he lowered himself back into the car, putting the safety back on and returning it to his hip.

"I won't tell Karamatsu, I promise," Todomatsu wore an impressed smile, "Because that was awesome."

"Hell yeah that was!" Chibita roared, pulling his ladle from his apron that he still had on for some reason and thrust it into the air. "I'm proud of you, dammit!"

"Seriously, Ichimatsu, that was good thinking." Totoko gunned it, knowing exactly where they were now and that they were close. "Sorry for doubting you there."

"Yay, nii-san!"

ESP Kitty hopped into his lap from the trunk and Ichi pulled his mask over his very-red face.

"T-Thanks..."

"That probably gave us an extra hour that we wouldn't have had if we were still stuck." Totoko turned onto an empty street. "So we have to get out, grab the weapons, and get our asses up this mountain and be up there as quick as possible."

Everyone nodded in understanding. Jyushi fluttered his wings a little, leaning forward to look through the windshield better. "Are we almost there?"

"Yep, we're super close. Like, I would probably start preparing, close." Totoko turned around in acknowledgement to Totty. "I would call Karamatsu and let him know."

"Got it!" The tech-savvy brother unlocked the phone and dialed, holding it to his ear. Chibita grabbed the bag at his feet, hoisting it into his lap. He had used a bow and arrow a couple of times before, but it hadn't been a very common hobby. He prayed he'd be able to fire an arrow without impaling somebody after being rusty.

The volcano was extremely close now, Totoko driving parallel to the trees right by the base. Deciding that they could probably stop there, she hit the brakes, Ichi grabbing hold of Jyushimatsu to keep him from going into the front seat. Todo clicked his tongue on the phone.

"Ah, hi, nii-san, we just wanted to call you and let you know that we're here now. We're gonna start climbing in a minute, so if you happen to try and call us back and we don't answer, our reception might be gone." Todomatsu paused for a second, the lump in his throat hard. "...We love you. Bye."

He lowered the phone, the direness hitting him like a brick. They were about to do this. He was about to climb Mount Fuji for a second time and see his dead brother who could very possibly kill him. That could've been the last thing he ever said to Karamatsu.

"Come on!" Totoko yelled, already out of the car. Chibita followed suit, Ichi pulling Jyushimatsu out so he didn't hurt his wings. Legs jelly, Totty pretty much melted onto the ground, weakly shutting the door behind him. Hurriedly, Chibita shoved his candles into his hands, removing his bow and arrows and tossing the bag back into the car. He strapped the quiver onto his back and clutched the bow, running back over to Totoko and the others. The Queen eyed Todo strangely.

"Are you coming?" She asked the youngest, who walked over slowly, shaking fearfully.

"Yes," he murmured, squeezing the handle of the candleabra. Totoko figured he was nervous, but this was no time to waste freaking out.

"Let's go then." Totoko's wings twitched in anticipation. "We have to hurry."

Dissolving into the woods, they began the hike to the summit.

...

Wheezing, Ichi hung onto Jyushi's shoulders as he carried him the last hundred feet. Todo's candles were lit and he clung tightly to Totoko's arm for protection, not enjoying how dark it was. Chibita's legs hurt terribly, but damn, was he proud of himself for actually making it! The Queen's heart pounded and she could feel it in her throat.

"It's right up here," she breathed, scaling the dusty ground to reach the rock that jutted out not too far from the summit. Bringing them over a hill, the mirror became fully in view. It was practically carved into the side of the volcano, looking almost like a regular pane of glass. Inside was that empty room Oso had dragged her into. The gray tiles stretched much further back than the thickness of the crust the mirror was in. The others collectively gasped.

"Oh my God..." Totty whispered, stepping further ahead disregarding the dark, looking into the room.

"It's so pretty!" Jyushi exclaimed, setting Ichi down to run and look at it too. The nun floated towards it, Chibita behind him. Totoko stood in the back, watching them all awe at the glass.

"Oi, so Osomatsu's in there?" Chibita asked, resisting the urge to reach out and touch it.

"Yep. And so is every person that ever died and went to Hell." Totoko moved her wings, the sound of the leather flapping echoing in the altitude. "They're all gonna cross over in thirteen days. Give the mirror some space, will you?"

Everyone backed away, but the brothers hadn't even realized that they'd grabbed each other's hands, staring quietly into the other side.

Chibita smiled tiredly. "You're all excited to see him again, aren't ya?"

"Yes," Todo was the only one to answer, his voice small.

"He's probably not going to be nice, though." Totoko put her hands on her hips. "He's totally gone. So, I know this might sting a little, but try not to get too reattached, okay?" The brothers all turned around, watching her in denial. "I don't want him to break your hearts. He's also really distraught that I didn't want to help him pull all this off, so he's gonna be really irritable. Just... try to stay out of sight and not think much of it. You all can reunite once Choro's cleansed him of sin."

Their hands slipped from each other's grasps, fingertips lingering. They nodded hard-not necessarily understandably-and walked back to Totoko. Chibita adjusted the bow in his hands.

"Should we probably hide? In case he decides he's going to cross a little earlier? It's probably midnight, right?"

"Probably after midnight," Totoko corrected him, looking to Totty. "What does the phone say?"

"1:13." Todomatsu read, emotion threatening to spill out of his mouth from overflowing in his chest. He stuffed it back into his pocket. "Kara never called me back..."

"Reception." Ichi suggested, and the littlest brother nodded. Even the typically-stoic man had a look on his face that threatened tears. Jyushi toyed with the dove pin on his chest, his nails catching on the gold. Chibita squinted.

"Jyushimatsu, what is that?" He stood on the tips of his toes, trying to see closer. The angel bent down a little.

"My pin." He was monotone. "I'm training to be a seraph. That's just a way of showing that I'm not as experienced as I could be in guarding and that I still need to earn the title."

"Ah! That's awesome!" Chibita tried to lighten the mood, laughing as he ran a finger over the dove, but the brothers were too somber from the hysteria brought on by the anxiety of seeing their big brother for the first time in almost eighteen years. The cook gave up, letting the smile fade from his face. He began to walk to a slab to wait behind.

"We should probably get to our places now." He suggested, the brothers like ghosts as they silently moved to seperate spots, preparing the distractions. Totoko stood about a hundred feet away from the mirror in wait. If Oso decided to take his time, then this was going to be a long night.

...

"Guys! Guys, get up! Look!"

Totoko hurriedly stood up, brushing off Ichi's sweatpants and her heart beginning to pound. Her wings spasmed and her tail flicked. Everyone around her had foolishly fallen asleep but jolted awake and stumbled forward from their places to see.

On the other side of the mirror, at the far end of the room, the King of Hell bent down in front of a handful of elderly demons who appeared to be praising him, ruffling his hair between his horns and making him smile, sharp canines catching on his bottom lip. The brothers immediately ran to one another to cling like they did whenever they were especially hysteric, Ichi beginning to hyperventilate. Todomatsu rested his head between his two older brothers, blubbering into sobs, and Jyushi's smile remained as hot tears poured quietly. Chibita's jaw hit the ground as he stumbled next to Totoko.

"That's him?" His bow slipped in his hands. The sun was especially bright; what time was it? Totoko nodded.

"Yeah." She could hardly breathe. Their plan was about to go into motion. She wasn't prepared at all. "It is."

"Nii-san," Jyushi croaked out, placing his hands on the sides of Ichi's face, "You're going to, t-to give yourself altitude sickness..."

Ichi tried to breathe deeper and slower, his head spinning. Totty was buried into his shoulder, using his veil to hide his face in. He was getting it soaked.

"H-He-" Ichi gasped for air, pointing at the glass, "T-The- The bullet-!"

Osomatsu's wound was loud, the red blossomed on his eyebrow like a rose. Jyushi lost his composure and clamped a hand over his mouth, grabbing onto Totty and digging his nails into his skin. Totoko was desperate; she needed them to be fine when he crossed so nothing went wrong.

"It's okay! It's really okay!" She tried to reassure them nervously, but wasn't having much luck. "It doesn't hurt him. The first night he came to me in my bedroom he just totally shoved his fingers in there. It's totally painless! It's just a surface mark!"

Chibita realized they were about to really need each other and ran over to his spot. "Oi! Guys! We really need to get ready!"

"Who's that he's w-with...?" Todomatsu gurgled, Totoko glancing back to look inside. Oso was standing straight up, beaming brightly as the youkai continued to praise him. She completely forgot.

"Oh... That's Akki. She's been his main caretaker since he was ten." She scratched the back of her neck. "Um... Everyone else there is a caretaker too."

Ichimatsu pulled his mask off his face to get more air, regardless if it was thin. "S-So like- a- a-" He struggled for oxygen and Jyushi ripped his mask back up, trying to trap the carbon dioxide.

Todomatsu's big brown eyes were glassy and his shoulders hung low, looking at Totoko with a pained, ballooned heart.

"Like... h-his family...?" He managed to get out, looking at her in the hopes that she would shake her head. But she didn't deny it, and he pressed his cheek against Ichi's to comfort him, feeling tears stream down his own face even worse.

"It's okay." Totoko repeated, the crowd of youkai inching closer. "When Choromatsu gets ahold of him you'll all be reunited and he'll be so excited to see you. You all will be a family again. I promise."

There was no guarantee, of course, but she wasn't about to tell them that.

"He can't see us?" Chibita asked worriedly, noting how clear their view of him was.

"No. On the other side, it looks like you're underwater looking up at the surface. He can't hear us, either." Totoko looked back at the brothers, where Ichimatsu was being smothered by the younger ones, trying to get him to calm down. His breathing slowly returned to a slightly normal pace, getting enough strength back to be able to reach up at both his and their faces to wipe the tears.

"H-How are we g-gonna- get him all th- the- to C-Choro?" Ichi cursed himself for being so open. He needed to calm himself the hell down so he could go back to being quiet and threatening.

But the sight of his nii-san smiling and breathing and okay captivated the ten-year-old that remained a part of him, still living in that nightmarish loop of dealing with the news that he had lost his oldest brother and would never see him again. The people that told him that were fucking liars. Because there he was. He was okay. Osomatsu-kun was okay.

"We might have to fall a couple of times if we want to get there quick, but it'll be a long few hours." Totoko smiled at him and his brothers gave him space.

"Come on. We n-need to hide," Jyushi forced a smile, flapping his feathery wings and moving back into one of the trees he was wedged in. Totty dragged himself over to a rock and Ichi went behind Chibita's.

Osomatsu approached the mirror, the youkai behind him remaining where they were. The King still wore the ring on his finger much like the Queen. She looked down at her hand. It was an ugly ring, but she felt a strange compellment to keep it on. It meant something to her, but what that something was she had no idea.

He stood directly in front of the glass, staring straight ahead into Totoko's eyes. She shivered and heard everyone else behind her hold their breath, the materials of their weapons moving as they held them readily. Ichi's staggered inhalation was hardly audible, which meant he had almost completely settled himself down. She wondered if Osomatsu could see the blurry shape of her body, watching to see if she would flinch first. Totoko stood still, swallowing dryly. Satan flicked his eyes around the pane, taking it in its entirety, admiring the genuine beauty in the barrier of life and death. He held his head side to side, cracking his neck. He shrugged his shoulders backwards and moved his devilish wings in preparation.

Looking Totoko right in the face with a coy grin that admitted she had absolutely been seen, Osomatsu stepped through the mirror.


	20. Harsh Reality

He was silent, crossing his arms over his chest and looking her over with a smug smirk that made Totoko want to knock his teeth out. However, she herself couldn't find anything to say, standing awkwardly with her hands on her hips and her tail winding around her leg in nervousness. The others behind her were totally undetectable, so at least they were holding themselves together.

Osomatsu ran his tongue over his teeth, stepping closer to her. "Did you change your mind?" His voice was deep and rich, which caught Totoko off guard.

"Of course not," She tried to keep herself as normal as possible, twirling a pigtail in her finger, attempting to look at him with the bitterness that she always used to whenever he pissed her off (which was almost all the time). Pinching her eyebrows and lifting her chin, she added, "What the fuck makes you think that I'd want to join you again?"

"Well, you've just so willingly brought yourself back up to me, so I thought that maybe after seeing the devastation that you came to your senses." He frowned. "But I mean, you could've just stepped right back into the mirror. You didn't have to wait for me."

Totoko's wings twitched. "I _wasn't_ waiting for you, you asshole." Well, maybe she was, but not in the sense that he had on his mind.

The King cocked his head in false confusion, approaching her. Totoko forced herself to stay completely still and look him in the eye, clenching her teeth. He slid a hand around her waist, pulling her closer and pressing their foreheads together, the coyness that he wore on his face driving her insane. Her false anger easily bubbled into reality, trying to lean away with no avail.

"Then what were you doing?" He brought his mouth next to her ear, practically whispering. "You wouldn't have possibly been hoping that I'd kill you to get it over with...?" He gently kissed her temple and she was trembling with fury. "Just this little bit of exposure to Armageddon and you've already had enough?"

"Don't _touch_ me." Totoko spat, venom rising up her throat. She pressed both of her hands against his chest and shoved him away, stumbling backwards to regain her balance. The King looked surprised, brushing off his hands on his pants.

"Wow, awfully hostile, aren't you?" He shrugged. "Oh well. I really appreciate you making this easier on me, Totoko-chan. I guess if I just go ahead and take care of you now, then more time can be spent on more important things on the thirteenth day, right?"

Totoko took that as her cue to set the plan into motion. Carefully, she began to walk backwards. Oso just stood there, watching her strangely.

"Uh...?"

"I'm not just gonna let you go right ahead and get me in one shot." Totoko flapped her wings, preparing to fly, figuring that might be a little easier to get him down the mountain faster. She forced a grin. "Come on, I'm a firecracker; you should've known this-"

"-You know, Totoko, there's something you're not telling me."

Totoko froze and could hear the quiet knock of Chibita's bow as he moved it and bumped it against the rock. A chill shot down her spine.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm going to give you five seconds to tell me what that something is before I figure it out myself, and it won't be very fun."

Totoko stopped her wings, glaring at him. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about! What the fuck's up with you?"

Osomatsu began to move forward, looking around. He clicked his tongue disappointedly. "Totoko-chan, you didn't tell me you weren't alone."

Bile collected in the back of her throat. Thankfully, he hadn't been facing her, or else he would've seen the shock she wore. She quickly gathered herself and turned to nervously watch him slink around the area.

"What? I _am_ alone!" Totoko tapped her fingers against her sweatpants anxiously. She prayed that the others were smart enough to try and move further down the mountain to hide themselves. Oso whirled around and shot her an unfooled look, hand on his hip.

"Have you forgotten that literally the only thing separating us is a pane of glass?" He twisted a finger on the tip of one of his horns. "I saw. Why are you lying to me, Totoko-chan? Husbands and wives shouldn't lie to each other."

Totoko found no words as he just watched her, pleased smirk on his face as her silence completely gave herself away. The Queen was left horrified as Oso turned back around to keep searching. Her eyes darted around to see if any of the four of them happened to be exposed. The only one she was able to see was Jyushimatsu, who nearly completely blended in with the tree he was in. His face was completely blank as he let his fingertips rest on the rim of his halo, practically boring another hole through Oso's head as he refused to take his gaze off of him.

The King tapped a claw against his chin playfully, stopping to look at the rocks and the trees. "...I saw white."

Totoko didn't say anything, inching forward to follow after him in case she would need to attack. She had no idea how to fight with her bare hands! Sure, if she were fighting somebody normal, she would probably be fine, but against Satan?! Ichi began to wheeze quietly again and Totoko could hear Chibita frantically try and shush him and calm him down. This plan went to shit. Bless Choromatsu for actually believing in them, but they were all going to die.

Osomatsu seemingly hadn't heard them, though, and began to walk towards one of the rocks. "I saw a body wearing white. They were glowing orange." Resting his hands against the smooth stone, he peeked around the side, making a point of sulking his shoulders when no one was there.

"Where'd you go?" The King called out teasingly, moving on to other rocks. Totoko gnawed on her lip. He was dangerously close to Todomatsu.

She hurried up to be closer behind him, looking back at Jyushimatsu. Perched in his tree, he was much more alert and his halo was bright, hand hovering above it in preparation. Osomatsu neared Totty's rock, tilting his head and peering behind another. He moved on to the next one.

"Come on, won't you show your face? I know you're here!" Osomatsu's fingers brushed against the slab Todo was behind and Totoko held her breath, too petrified to move. The King slowly stepped forward to look behind it. "Are you... back here?"

Staring him in the face was Todomatsu, clutching so tightly onto his candleabra that it was a wonder how the handle didn't snap in half. His face was ghostly pale and his cheeks salt stained, set into a state of shock from finally getting to meet his older brother again; the bullet wound in his forehead was just as terrifying as Karamatsu had made it out to be all those years. Osomatsu's blank expression disappeared and he smiled, and for a split second, both the youngest and Totoko thought he might've abandoned everything right then and there.

"Ah! What a surprise, huh?" Osomatsu scratched the back of his neck and Totty said nothing, lip quivering. "This is kind of awkward, but which one are you? I can't tell." Oso stood upright, offering the choirboy his hand. Todo didn't take it at first, unsure if it was a good idea, but he placed all of the trust he had in the demon, allowing his help. He could hardly stand and he felt like he was going to puke.

Todomatsu couldn't speak, taking in the image of his nii-san. Tears began to spill over his lids and he sputtered, dropping his candles. His skin of his palm prickled from their first contact in years.

Oso frowned at him. "I didn't mean for you to get offended. It's just that you quintuplets all look the same."

Totty's shoulders fell and his heart hit the ground. "B-But..."

The King looked him hard in the face before snapping his fingers. "Oh! You're Todomatsu! Right?"

Todo blubbered, fat droplets collecting on the bottom of his jaw. "Yes, b-but... we're _sex_ tuplets..."

Totoko used the distraction to inch even closer, everyone else leaning a bit out of their spots to try and see. Osomatsu said nothing, drawing a long nail over Todo's chin to wipe away some of the tears.

The Queen fluttered her wings behind them to distract and get him to leave the choirboy alone, but Oso was completely uninterested. He cracked his knuckles, pulling his fringe out of his eyes.

"Hey," he brought his voice down to a whisper, grabbing Totty's face rather roughly and crushing his cheeks, feeling the outlines of his teeth through his skin, "You're here to get in my way... aren't you?"

Todo frantically sought for Totoko to see if he should tell the truth or not. Oso let out a chuckle, loosening his grip and figuring his silence spoke for him. He gave him a frown.

"Awe. Well, then..." The devil calmly extended his arms, clamping down on Todomatsu's neck as hard as he could. Totoko threw her hands to her mouth and Chibita was too shocked to move; Ichimatsu frantically stumbled for his gun but couldn't get it unstuck from his holster. The sixth son's knees collapsed under him as he clawed up at his throat but couldn't reach his brother's hands, opening his mouth to scream but nothing coming out more than a gurgle. He squeezed his eyes shut, his tears making Oso's hands slippery, and wheezed; the air was unable to reach his lungs. Satan tightened his fingers, Todo's head feeling as if it were a balloon ready to burst.

"If you hold your breath, this'll be a whole lot easier for the two of us," Oso sinisterly suggested, his little brother's cheeks as red as his wings and his eyes foggy with water. The noises of the struggle empowered him and he could feel the grooves of Todomatsu's windpipe against his thumb; shoving it deeper into his neck, he nearly crushed it, the choirboy's hands growing less and less desperate to free himself and they furthered away from Oso's in growing weakness. Totoko had no idea what to do, frozen in place. Chibita tried to string his bow but kept fumbling with the arrows; Ichimatsu finally managed to grab his gun but couldn't steady his hands enough and was afraid to fire in case he got Todomatsu instead.

Nobody had even noticed Jyushimatsu tear out of his tree, ripping his bat from his halo at the same time, and swing it as hard as he could into Osomatsu's head, cracking him in the skull and sending him crumpling into the ground.

Todomatsu collapsed immediately after him, gasping for air like a fish out of water, shakily reaching up to touch his tender neck where flowering red bruises blackened deep under the skin. The oxygen he struggled to get was thin.

Osomatsu lolled over, hand on his head. He let out a groan of agony.

" _Wow..._ You really know how to use that thing... don't you?" Satan was pissed off now and dizzily brought himself to his feet, pulling his hand away from his head to see that it was soaking wet with blood. He rabidly glanced up at Jyushimatsu, who had his bat readily held, Ichimatsu and Chibita on their feet further behind him alongside Totoko. Osomatsu spit the blood out of his mouth that was dribbling down his chin and wiped it with his clean hand, watching into the angel's eyes, who said nothing.

"You... You're... Karamatsu...?"

"Strike _two!"_ Jyushimatsu brought his bat down to try and bash him in the cap of his head, but the devil dodged out of the way, magic pooling at his fingertips. He was visibly livid. Totoko hurried around the other side of the rock, scooping up the choirboy to get him out of the way. Todomatsu wrapped his arms around her neck in a silent plea for protection, wheezing and coughing and gurgling, but he was breathing.

"Alright, you seem to like to do things the hard way, don't you?" Blood gathered in the cracks between the King's teeth. He spit again. "You're difficult. Which must mean you're... Jyushimatsu."

" _Home-run!"_ Jyushi called out again, roughly swinging his bat at Osomatsu's knees. Satan evaded, collecting bolts of crimson magic that flashed across his palms in his fingertips, power pulsing through his muscles. Osomatsu stamped his foot, clamped his teeth, and outstretched his fingers at the angel, thick, red energy firing off much like they had on the mirror, but Jyushi deflected it with his bat; the projectiles shot into the ground and dust exploded, the angel left coughing.

"Holy shit!" Chibita cried out, dropping his bow. He cursed himself immediately after for giving his and Ichimatsu's location away when Oso, huffing in rage, cast his gaze in their direction. The demon rolled up the sleeves of his suit, flashes of energy flickering in his hand. Chibita rushed to pick up the bow and pulled the arrow out of his quiver. Ichi pulled his mask over his face to cover as much of himself as possible, holding up the gun.

"Huh..." Osomatsu mused, stepping towards them. Totoko held onto Totty, arrowed tail flittering around worriedly. God help them. They were all dead. They needed to _move;_ staying static like this was just handing themselves over.

"What a sad little reunion this is!" The King humored himself, muscles of his arms bulging with the power surge. "All of my friends came to see me, but they're making it like an intervention instead..." He opened his mouth to monologue some more, but Jyushimatsu drove his bat into the back of his knees and he toppled again. This time around, Oso was able to regather his balance much easier and stumbled upwards, seizing Jyushimatsu by the shoulders and bringing his foot up to stomp the bat out of his grip and instead grab _his_ neck.

" _Get_ out _of here with that goddamned bat!"_ Osomatsu barked, Jyushi clawing at his wrists and managing a good hold, using all of his strength to try and shove him away. The bat materialized into glowing, golden dust, flying away in the altitude's wind. Todomatsu finally had enough air to be alright and fend for himself and allowed Totoko to let him go. The two of them stood, watching across the battlefield at Chibita and Ichi, who were watching _them._

No hesitation, Totoko cried out, " _Run!"_

Chibita ripped at Ichi's hand, tugging him along with him, Totoko having to do the same with Totty. The two brothers dragged their heels, struggling against their grips to try and turn around.

"Wait!" Todomatsu croaked, his voice nearly gone from the pressure, "Nii-san!" His shoes slipped on the ground against Totoko's pull and he slipped, scraping his knee through his dress but reached for the angel anyway, who faltered backwards, wrestling a losing fight with the demon. Totoko nearly ripped his arm out of its socket to get him back on his feet, shoving him further down the mountain.

"Todomatsu, he's doing what he's here for," Totoko swallowed hard, giving the choirboy another push as his heartstrings clearly snapped at the truth in her words. "We need to hurry."

Chibita, however, was not having better luck with Ichimatsu, who aimed his gun but couldn't steady it, the tiny cook not tough enough to pull him along. Jyushimatsu ripped a hand away that was occupied holding the demon back and blew it across his face, the King stumbling to the side in a momentary impediment before throwing himself back at the angel, sharp canines coated with a mix of blood and saliva as he bared them. Totoko rushed up to Ichimatsu, grabbing his arm and pulling it.

"Ichi, please, we need to get down as fast as we can! He's going to come and get us and we need to be-"

"- _He's going to kill Jyushimatsu."_ Ichi totally ignored her, training his gun on the devil, who dug his claws as deeply as he could down the angel's face, resulting in a painful cry from the latter. Both Chibita and Totoko reached for the firearm, grabbing it by the handle and tearing it away from him. Now with one friend on each arm, Ichi was dragged away despite his protests.

" _Let me the fuck go! He's going to kill my baby brother!"_ Ichi roared, hearing the tender noise of flesh hitting flesh, unsure of who got slugged with his back to them. Todomatsu rushed over to the gun, picking it up, but held onto it rather than trying to shoot it. Chibita struggled to put the arrow back in the quiver and pull Ichi along at the same time, but Totoko seemed to be taking care of it. The cook looked back at the fight, the span of Jyushimatsu's wings too large to really see anything.

"Ichimatsu, I hate to remind ya, but Jyushi's already dead!" Chibita slid his bow into the crook of his arm, planting his hands on the nun's back to shove him. "We need to _go,_ dammit, before those of us that are still _alive_ aren't anymore!"

Osomatsu nearly overpowered the angel, gripping his jaw and wrenching it to the side, attempting to either make him vulnerable to strangle again or snap his neck; whichever came first would work. Jyushi quickly recovered and nearly mirrored the demon's movement, driving his fist into his teeth and sending him staggering backwards. Warm blood from both his brother's mouth and his knuckles began to drip down the angel's skin.

Ichi, wanting nothing more than to argue and put a bullet right through Osomatsu's head to get it over with, knew he wouldn't get anywhere if he tried and would just waste precious time. Giving one last regard to his little brother, the nun hesitantly whirled around and fled alongside the others, barreling down the mountain.

Heat lightning flashed brightly in the clouds surrounding the summit, the maroon sky grim and suitable for the situation. Osomatsu spat blood again, growing frustrated with the angel's determination. Whipping his tail around, he managed to catch the arrow on Jyushi's ankle, the burr slicing into the tender skin. Smirking with conceit, he wrapped the leathery wire around, using its darted end to ensure it didn't snap away. Quickly, he jolted his tail backwards and the fifth son nearly fell over, letting out a yelp of surprise. Satan laughed bitterly as the angel tried to escape the rope, one knee not nearly enough to maintain enough strength to keep him upright.

"You're tough, ain'tcha?" Oso grinned, yanking his tail closer. The angel managed to get good ground but couldn't do much with his leg preoccupied. He swung his fist at his eldest brother, but it failed to reach; all it did was fling his body weight forward, hauling him even closer to Satan.

"You better not hurt them," Jyushimatsu threatened, his smile nonexistent. His eyes were stinging with sweat and the gashes on his cheek were staining his golden dress scarlet. Oso just laughed, deepening the arrow of his tail deeper into Jyushi's flesh. Jyushi winced with welling tears of pain. The coil around his ankle was fixed so tightly it began to cut off the circulation.

"Or what, angel boy?" He neared his face to his little brother's, overflowing with hubris at his now-upper hand. "This world is mine now. Even if I didn't get them right away, they'd be taken out just like everybody else in the end, so what's the difference?" He flicked his pupils up at the crown of Jyushi's head, taking note of the glowing halo. Teasingly, he widened his eyes in false interest and reached out at the ring, clicking his tongue.

"What's this pretty thing you have here?"

Jyushimatsu lurched backwards to avoid the contact, but the harsh grip on his ankle kept his one leg in place, sending the man onto his ass. Writhing in Osomatsu's hold, he could do nothing but attempt to lean as far away as possible from the devil's claws, which was nearly impossible. Satan's demented grin shadowed over the angel as he ran his fingers over the smooth gold of the halo, running a thumb over its rim.

"You died too, huh?" Osomatsu breathed heavily from the rough altercation, looking down at his little brother who refused to make eye contact. Bringing his attention back up to the halo, he tapped one of his nails against the edge, taking in the clinking sound.

"How'dja die?" He saw Jyushimatsu's bulky arms tense up out of his peripherals and the angel extended his hand and gripped his wrist, arm shaking in struggle as he fought to push the demon away.

"It doesn't matter." Jyushi argued, kicking his leg to try and free it.

"Oh no, it absolutely _does_ matter." Oso dug his claws into his cheeks, crushing his teeth with his hands like he had Todomatsu. Jyushi screamed in agony, frantically flapping his wings to try and scare the King away long enough for him to regain a bit of control, but the feathers did nothing. "How did you die?"

"I-I drowned." Jyushi shamefully admitted with a stiff jaw, blood seeping through his front teeth and slobbering all over his brother's grip. Despite the oozing saliva and gore that coated his fingers, Oso retained the austere hold on his face, squeezing even tighter despite the cries of torment. What an annoying little pest this guy was. Was he that annoying when they were kids? The King didn't know, but one thing he did know was that he was growing bored with toying around.

"Did you now?" Oso's bullet hole was suddenly very, very prominent to the angel, who couldn't take his eyes off of the macabre injury. The hallowed flesh was an inky, deep red, blackened from time in some areas of the tender, exposed meat. Dried blood surrounded the area as if it seeped often, cracked from exposure to the air.

And if nii-san moved his head at just the right angle, he could catch a glint of silver, almost as if the bullet that penetrated his brain still remained where it had lodged itself all those years ago.

Jyushimatsu instantaneously relived the years of coping and therapy and pain he had to endure, blubbering into sobs and the spit in his mouth thickening. Osomatsu loosened his grip, wiping his soaked hand onto his blazer, reaching at the halo once again. Childishly, Jyushi tried to rid of the blood sloshing around in his mouth by spitting it out, dribbling it all over his chin and his neck.

"Yeah, dying's no fun, isn't it?" Oso ran his hand all the way around the holy corona, testing for its flimsiness. Jyushi sobbed from the haunting memories traumatization flooding his heart that beat weakly. Nii-san was so mean. That goddamned bullet must've messed up his brain and made him hate his baby brothers. After all, if he didn't hate them, then why had he beaten him up and made his teeth ache and scratch up his cheeks?

Jyushi slurred something through the blood and tears, Oso rolling his eyes and leaning down in inconvenience.

"What?" He jabbed him in the chest with his claw, piercing the skin. "Speak up."

"Y-You're... not my nii-san..." Jyushi decided shakily, gushing ichor through his teeth, the pool of blood in his mouth nearly choking him as it collected in the back of his throat. He struggled for breath and coughed, splattering Satan's face with gore.

Osomatsu brought his hand up, wiping at the corner of his mouth irritatedly, peering down at the squirming, bleeding angel.

"Huh. Maybe you're right."

"Osomatsu n-nii-san would never try to hurt us-s-s..."

"Wow. Is that so?"

" _And-! I l-loved Osomatsu nii-san, but I don't love you!"_

Oso feigned disappointment and hurt, popping his tongue in his cheek.

"Ouch. You're awfully harsh for an angel, aren't you?" Bringing his other hand up to his halo, Oso held onto it tightly, his knuckles going white. "Surely God wouldn't want such a rude person helping him out in heaven."

Jyushi's eyes bugged, intaking air sharply. Coming to realize what he was going to do, the sunshine boy's heart plummeted as he begged and pleaded, raking at his brother's forearms to try and set himself free. The King snickered, looking his little brother in the eye.

"Ah, ah, ah. Maybe you _shouldn't_ argue with me, huh? After all, look at yourself. You picked a fight with the devil and look where that's gotten you." Giving Jyushimatsu a smile, Oso tilted his head. "It was a good attempt to stop me though, I gotta give you credit. But I'm tired of playing around. I have more important things to do."

Gripping the two opposite edges of the golden halo, Satan nefariously snapped it in half, the metal dissolving into bright, white light in his hands.

Jyushimatsu watched, horrified, as he could feel his blood freeze in terror in his veins, shock setting in. Osomatsu stood upright, calmly brushing off his palms on his pants as the fallen angel convulsed in pain and intensifying weakness in the dust, gagging on his blood from where his teeth were knocked aggressively loose. The King yawned, flapping his dragon-like wings tiredly.

"What a waste of my time you were," he complained, his lip split open from the fight, spilling quietly. He licked it, slipping his blood onto his tongue. "I could've gotten at least two of them by now."

Jyushi tried to lift his head but couldn't, smacking his skull onto the ground as he gasped for oxygen, feeling the nerves in the bases of his wings undulate uncomfortably. Lolling his head off to the side, he could see his feathery appendages spasm in throes of secondary death, the plumage falling off and shriveling next to him. Tears of heartbreak and agony and disbelief that he would half to embrace death a second time blurred his vision. He coughed again, spraying crimson all over himself.

The angel decided that Oso must've really hurt him when he was strangling him and fighting with him, because he could taste copper in the bottom of his throat as well. He was bleeding in more than just his mouth.

He saw the obscure shape of the one he used to call his older brother walk around him, stained tail flitting proudly. Jyushi cracked his head onto the ground again, peering up at the apocalyptic sky with any remaining optimism faded from his eyes. Osomatsu laughed behind him, making his way down the mountain.

"Maybe if you just let Todomatsu die, none of this would've just happened."

Jyushimatsu wheezed, the spasms in his wings growing stronger and more painful as the feathers completely fell off, leaving nothing but flesh and bone. He snaked his hand up to his chest, clutching the dove pin he wore tightly.

 _Guardian angel..._

 _I was training to be a guardian angel..._

 _I couldn't save them. I lost._

He felt his wings begin to dissolve into light and he closed his eyes, trying to remember what the calm, womb-like state felt like when he had drowned. His muscles relaxed.

 _I've failed God._

 _I've failed my brothers._

 _...I've failed myself._

The heart in Jyushi's chest faintly throbbed, his wings fading away entirely and leaving a feeble, powerless man to die alone on the summit.

 _Karamatsu, Ichimatsu, Choromatsu, Todomatsu..._

 _I'm so sorry... I love you._

Gasping painfully and deeply, Jyushi's body laid still in the dust, the warm blood still trickling from between his lips.

His pin remained clasped in his hand.


	21. Deus Ex Machina

"P-Please, can we stop? I-I-" Todomatsu choked, nearly tripping over a rock trying to sprint down the steep trail, "I can't breathe-!"

Totoko, Chibita, and Ichimatsu all had to make an effort into practically skidding to a halt, whirling around to regard the wheezing choirboy, still having difficulty getting oxygen through his bruised trachea. He doubled over, hoarse panting heaving his chest.

"Totty, we're almost there, we're almost at the bottom," Totoko beseeched, running over to him and placing a hand on the small of his back, trying to nudge him along. The youngest wordlessly shook his head, placing his hands on his throat but recoiling when a shot of pain fired through his nerves from the contusions. Totoko lifted her hand, looking back at the others worriedly while Todo gasped, breath strained.

"I'm s-sorry- Totoko, b- but I- I can't-!"

"Hey, hey, it's alright, don't hurt yourself," Chibita butted in, glancing up the trail to see if Osomatsu had found them yet. "We've made it this far in an awful lot of time; do you think he's still after us?"

"Oh, definitely." The Queen panted herself, using the small break to catch her breath. "He won't go back to Hell until he has all of our heads."

"We couldn't even just hide out in the church?" Ichi was sweating profusely under his veil, the humid wet uncomfortably collecting inside the mask strapped to his chin. "He can't get in there, right?" He wrung his hands, glancing off to the side. "I'm scared that if we don't abandon this plan, we're all going to be fucking dead."

Todo dry-heaved from the overwork and Totoko placed a hand on his back. "That's the thing; I don't know if we can. At this point, it would be better off if we aimed to get him in the lake than to try and hide. I don't know where he is, but we need to hurry."

Totty panicked, going into a coughing spell. "But-!"

"Totty."

"E-Eh?"

"Totty." Ichimatsu approached him, Totoko helping lift the man upright. They both quietly winced in empathetic pain upon getting a decent look at his injuries. Ruby shadows where digits used to be wrapped around his neck like lariats. The base of his collarbone was a nebula.

"Todomatsu, we can't wait much longer. I'll carry you if you get on my back, but you really need to hurry up." The nun took his gun off of the choirboy, who had been holding onto it ever since they escaped, strapping it into the holster. Todo looked as if he wanted to cry from surprise.

"N-Nii- san-!"

"Come on Totty, hurry up," Totoko rushed, giving him a small push on the back. Ichi bent down a little and the sixth son clasped his hands once his arms were around his big brother's nape, wrapping his legs around his middle. It was somewhat difficult with his bulky dress, but they managed, Ichi grabbing hold of his ankles to make sure he stayed. The exhausted, aching man rested his head against his brother's shoulder.

"Thanks, nii-s-san...-!"

"It's fine." Ichi could hardly curb a smile, not wanting to admit that he had felt super fraternal for once. Chibita looked over to Totoko and they both nodded, the latter flapping her wings in haste, breaking into a run again.

"We need to hurry!" She cried out, the other two following after. Ichi found it difficult, the extra pounds on his back weighing him down, threatening to make his knees collapse and send them both toppling down the steep trail. Mount Fuji was incredibly bare, the ground incredibly dusty and barren with the occasional tree popping up every once and awhile. The plus side was that if Osomatsu was coming, they would absolutely see him, so the reassurance was nice to know that they had quite a bit of distance between them. They had been running for about an hour now with no appearance from the devil and were nearly at the base.

"Ichimatsu nii- san-?" Totty gasped over his shoulder.

"What?" Ichi managed through his huffing, almost tripping over a hole.

"I don't know i-if- you were going to, but- don't talk to me, o-okay?" Quietly, Todomatsu tightened his hands, closing his eyes. He wheezed. "I-I'm going to- to pray for us."

"Alright."

Chibita's heart skipped, stumbling forward to pick up speed. The quiver on his back nearly fell off. " _Oi, the bottom! I can see the bottom!"_

Totoko relied less and less on her legs and more on her wings, eventually lifting herself off of the ground and diving straight towards the base, allowing the other two more room to run.

"Should we take the car or keep going?" She wondered aloud, Chibita and Ichi winding down the curving path, Todo's eyes squeezed shut and his mouth moving with silent words.

"If we drive, I think we might manage to get away!" Chibita yelled, turning his head as he hurried to look at Ichi for an opinion. The nun scowled at the two, their faces immediately wiped of their smiles of hope.

"Jyushimatsu _didn't_ just do all of that for us to turn around and quit!" The cat boy spat, Totoko having to hurry up and pull herself upwards so she didn't smack her skull onto the ground. Chibita rushed off of the slope into the base, trying to stop his legs a little to adjust to the change of elevation. Ichi followed after, stopping and boosting his knees to get the slipping Totty higher up onto his back.

"He's probably _dead!_ And if we- _if we quit-!_ "

"-Hey, relax Ichimatsu, hey? We'll take the long way, dammit." Chibita doubled over, hands on his knees to catch his breath. What a fucking workout that was. "We're making good time. We just need to get to the road. I don't think we can afford to take a break."

"I'm actually not sure where we go from here, but I'm sure if we take back roads, we should get there?" Totoko ran a finger along one of her horns, stealing the habit from Osomatsu. "'Cause the church is kinda off to the side anyway."

They all were silent for a minute, soaking in the fact that they were halfway finished. The previously derailed plan seemingly was back on track. They glanced to Todomatsu, who had tears running down his face in fear and pain, prayer unbroken. Ichi felt their eyes move to him and his face burned, tightening his grip on Totty's ankles.

"Let's go." His habit flowed gracefully behind him, sandals crunching on top of the dead leaves. His brother's dress blew behind them as well. "We're sitting ducks."

Chibita and Totoko enjoyed the break for one last second before catching up with him, peering behind them to see if Satan had caught up yet.

The leaves in the trees whistled quietly.

...

Choromatsu threw a hand into his hair, blowing bubbles through his nose. _That_ wasn't good at all.

Todomatsu sounded frantic. He spoke of blood and bruises and hostility. But they should've expected this. A dance with the devil wouldn't be as predictable as they thought it would be. The goddess cursed himself for his stupidity. His friends and family were in danger because of him.

But he could get them out of this. Hopefully.

Taking in a deep breath to calm himself, he folded his hands and closed his eyes, listening to the water around him.

 _Jyushimatsu._

 _Jyushimatsu, can you hear me?_

Choro frowned, focusing harder.

 _Jyushimatsu, it's Choromatsu nii-san. Where are you?_

No response. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he forced himself to acknowledge the worst. Todo said he had been up on the summit fighting with Osomatsu. He must not have won.

Choro sighed sadly, opening his eyes for a second to fix his crown. Poor Jyushimatsu. Nobody should have to experience death twice.

Watching a koi swim by, he shut them again. Not that he ever wanted to need to, but he was going to perform something that he had never done before and he needed all of the strength he could muster. His legs shook anxiously and the corners of his mouth twitched. He opened his mind's eye.

 _Oh, God, please let this work..._

...

The youkai caregivers stood directly in front of the mirror, peering out at the shape warped by the glass, a pretty golden yellow tainted with a rich red. Akki frowned.

"He had a confrontation already..." The old woman brought her hands to her mouth, worried for her human boy. "I hope he's doing alright."

"The King is very likely fine," A somewhat younger youkai behind her chimed in, "He's already spilt the blood of someone and walked away unscathed." The demon wrung her hands. "Believe in Him, and He will save us."

On the other side, Jyushi laid silently, thin blood from his lips dripping slowly off of his chin onto his neck. His glazed eyes watched eerily into the sky at the quickly moving clouds, the lightning flashing and glinting off of his stained dove pin. Ichor and spinal fluid pooled on the top of his back, deep holes in his flesh where the base of his wings used to be. His skin paled as his dead body drained itself of the blood.

 _Jyushimatsu?_

 _ **...Huh...?**_

 _Jyushimatsu! Can you hear me?_

 _ **Nii-san?**_

 _Ah! You can hear me! Oh, thank God, Jyushimatsu, I thought I wouldn't be able to reach you!_

 _ **Nii-san, I'm scared! I can't feel my arms or my legs...**_

 _That's because you're dead, I'm afraid._

 _ **I thought I**_ **was** _**dead, though? How can I hear you if I'm dead? My blood got everywhere and my head got dizzy and my heart ticked real softly-**_

 _Jyushimatsu, I want to tell you a couple of things, okay?_

 _ **Nii-san!**_

 _Jyushi, please let me talk, alright?_

 _ **Sorry, Choromatsu nii-san...**_

 _It's okay. You're scared, I understand. I'm so, so sorry that you had to pass away twice. I can't imagine how that felt._

 _ **Not nice.**_

 _Uh... yeah. Definitely not nice, huh?_

 _ **Yeah.**_

 _Anyway, Totty was praying to me._

 _ **...**_

 _..._

 _ **...Okay?**_

 _Totty was praying to me?_

 _ **Ooooookay...?**_

 _Jyushimatsu, Todomatsu was praying to me._

 _ **Are we playing a game? I don't like this game. Red light...?**_

Jyushimatsu! _If_ Todomatsu _... was_ praying _... to me... what does that mean?_

 _ **It means that I'm really confused why I can hear you in my head and I can hear you even though I'm dead.**_

 _Jyushi, you_ saved _him. Todomatsu wasn't killed because of your intervention._

It finally hit the dead one out of the two and he gasped.

 _ **Ah, that's great! I'm so glad! He's never died before, so he doesn't know what it feels like, but I do, so it wasn't much for me, really! And I don't care**_ **who** _ **they are, nobody messes with my only baby brother!**_

 _Jyushimatsu, do you know what this means?_

 _ **Ah... no?**_

 _You did your job. You fulfilled your purpose._

 _ **Oh yeah, I did, didn't I?**_ Jyushi's voice sounded disappointed. _**But... I'm dead, so it doesn't matter anyway. That's alright. I'm just happy Totty's alive!**_

 _Well, Jyushi, technically_ I'm _still in training too, but I want to test something out. What better first trial than with my little brother?_

Jyushimatsu suddenly became acutely aware as to how grim the sky was above him. He couldn't move his eyes no matter how hard he tried and he gurgled in the pit of his throat in inconvenience.

Wait.

 _ **Nii-san! I can see again! How did you do that?**_

Choromatsu laughed excitedly. _It's a secret. Now, Jyushi, brother or not, I need to say a couple of things to you, okay?_

Jyushi retained usage of his eyes and flicked them all around, silently recoiling in disgust in his mind at how bloody he was. He could taste the stale gore in his mouth.

 _ **Gotcha!**_

 _You've fulfilled your purpose as a guardian angel. You've successfully guarded your subjects and saved their lives. Based upon the rules, that means that you are able to ascend._

Nerves suddenly shot signals through his whole body, tingling coming to all of his limbs. Slowly, he waggled his fingers, lifting his head off of the ground. He managed to pick his arms up, spitting the old blood out of his mouth.

 _You've been revived as a Son of God. You have Fallen, but mind that; it wasn't of your own doing._

A sharp pain seared through Jyushi's back and he arched it, wincing terribly. He sucked in air through his teeth, the wet noise from the gore caked between masking most of it, not enjoying the instant agony the very moment he raised from the dead for a second time.

 _ **Ouch-! Nii-san-?!**_

 _You will recover your halo and wings. Is that what's happening now?_

Turning his head carefully, the angel glanced behind him, hearing ugly cracking as entirely new bones formalized in his back, pushing out through the previous place where they had been before. Jyushi sighed as the pain lessened.

 _ **Yes-**_

He cut himself off as he let out a scream, jolting himself forward and sliding his legs under him, digging his nails into the dirt. His arms trembled terribly and he bit down hard onto his teeth as the misery returned, feeling as if he were getting stabbed in the back. The cracking grew worse. Choromatsu laughed dryly.

 _Jyushi, have you forgotten how many wings seraphim have?_

His neck was severely stiff, but the angel managed to turn his head again. Three series of bones on each side of his body spouted out from his back, skin growing over them at an alarmingly fast rate. Jyushi felt tears of pain well in his eyes, soft noises coming from spots he couldn't see as ivory plumage blossomed quickly over them, masking the fact that they hadn't been there in the minute before. The seraphim panted.

 _ **Ah... I guess I have...!**_

 _Did the thing happen yet?_

 _ **Huh...?! What thing?!**_

Choromatsu didn't have enough time to answer before a third round of torture washed over him, this time piercing into the pits of his arms. Jyushimatsu flinched and tried to reach under them to grab the area for leverage, but wasn't able to move them quick enough. Bursting out of his flesh and restructuring his bones were two new arms, sprouting outwards and creating two pairs of limbs. Jyushi tore into his lip with his teeth, the scratches on his face and bruises on his neck from Osomatsu's doing not seeming like much of anything now. Slowly, he gained feeling in these new arms, waggling their fingers.

A burning hot feeling suddenly bubbled in the middle of his forehead, but it was hardly a surprise. Clenching all four of his fists, Jyushi shook them in endurance and grit his teeth as a new eyeball surfaced onto his face, a third line of sight entering his vision. The brand new seraph stood in silence for a minute, patiently waiting for anything else to happen.

 _ **...Is that all?**_

 _Did it happen?_

 _ **If you mean 'two new arms and an eye' by 'it', then yes, 'it' did!**_

 _Congratulations, Jyushimatsu! You've completely ascended! I'm so, so proud of you!_

Jyushimatsu looked forward at the mirror, not realizing he had been watched. The group of youkai squinted, struggling to look through the fogged, blurry glass at what had happened to the corpse their King had created. Eager to show off, Jyushi stepped forward until he was right in front of it, pressing his four palms against the glass and sticking his tongue out, pressing the top of his forehead above it to really test out his third eye. At that moment, his halo rematerialized, his gown engulfing in a bright light as well to regenerate as a long, white dress similar to Choromatsu's. Around the waist was a golden band, decorated with beads as blue as the ocean and as red as the current sky. Similar golden strips dipped around his neckline and sleeves at the end of his shoulders, marked with sacred symbols of dead language.

The youkai sprang back at the sudden light and handprints, averting their eyes annoyedly away from the three.

"What the fuck is that?" One of them called out. Akki grimaced in disgust.

"I believe that's some sort of angel." She spat, moving the crowd backwards. "The King must not have killed him. What an arrogant son of a bitch, rubbing it in like that. Return to your quarters. Osomatsu will return soon."

 _Jyushimatsu?_

 _ **Nii-san! This is amazing!**_

 _I know, I know. But the others are still in danger._

Jyushi stepped away from the mirror, eyes and mouth going flat. Curiously, he drew one of his new arms up to his halo, summoning a brand new bat, this one wrapped in seemingly barbed wire. He lit up quietly, determined.

 _Jyushi... you still have a bit of a job to do._


	22. Mistakes

They were all silent as they ran, the only noise being the gravel kicking up from the friction of their feet and their heavy breathing. Totty remained on Ichi's back, hanging on tightly.

Totoko lead the way, although truthfully, she had no idea where they were. She knew they were a decent distance away from the volcano, but wasn't sure if they were heading in the right direction. Oh well. They'd have to find out.

"He's not following us, Totoko-chan," Chibita pointed out after awhile, and the Queen slowed herself down, the others following suit. Todo's eyes flickered, waking him from the dreamlike state he had been in. Totoko made a face.

"Totty, were you asleep?"

"Eh...?" The youngest rubbed his eye, voice croaking in both damage and fatigue. Ichi instantly slid his brother's legs off of his back, forcing him to stand.

"Wh- Get _off_ of me, you freeloader!" The nun snapped, planting his hands on his hips as he enjoyed the lightness on his spine and wrists. Todomatsu fixed his hat groggily with a frown.

"Should we just walk? I mean..." Chibita was tired of holding his bow, switching the arm he had it slung onto. "Th' guy's not even after us anymore. I think we'd be alright if we slowed down for a while."

"I second that notion," Ichi tugged at his veil, his hair completely drenched with sweat under it. He had to have gained a pound of muscle already from carrying Todomatsu for that long. Totoko seemed a bit bothered, not necessarily wanting to slow their pace in the fear it would catch them in quicksand again.

"I guess we can," Totoko shrugged, flicking her tail, "It couldn't hurt to get a breather for a minute."

They continued on, Totty fishing the phone out of his dress and shakily pressing the home button. He blew out a sigh of disappointment.

"Karamatsu nii-san never got back to me..." He whined, popping it back into his pocket.

"Ah, don't think nothin' of it!" Chibita tried to cheer him up, his arrows clacking against each other in the quiver as he walked, "Karaboy's super busy. He probably hasn't had a single spare minute to call ya."

Totty nodded quietly, the wind stinging the raw wounds on his neck.

Just like that, they all were silent again, the leaves in the trees blowing and the distant thunder offering as white noise. Totoko felt strange. Not even a week ago, she was on the throne of a massive kingdom, being pampered and praised like a goddess, more power in the pinky of her her finger than a well-respected world leader. She missed that; she just wished it wasn't wrong. She was married to Satan. You really couldn't get any lower than that.

It hurt her real bad, because she could tell Osomatsu was damaged when she had to break it out to him that she never loved him. That was crazy that a childhood crush had managed to stretch out that far into time, but then again, did Oso ever really grow up? He had a body that aged just like everyone else's, it just had a bit of wear in the forehead; mentally, though, he had to still be ten. Blinded by his power and the fact that his wife was his beloved Totoko-chan, the poor guy became astray from who he was. (Plus the youkai probably changed some sort of thinking in him that caused him to become way more evil than he needed to be.)

She recalled sitting in class next to him and not being able to focus because of how he intimidated her. He was foolish and obnoxious and stubborn at times, sure, but weren't all boys at that age? He was a leader, a great big brother, and (sometimes) showed genuine concern and friendliness towards others. Plus, he was the cutest out of the six of them, in her ten-year-old opinion.

And wasn't that enough to spark an innocent little crush?

It was. And once he began doing ballet with her, she fell even harder. The girl was totally smitten with her best friend, her heart in her throat every time they spoke. Could he tell what she had been feeling by how the color rushed to her face whenever he'd say hi? How her nervousness translated to hostility whenever he happened to do anything that made her remember how badly she was crushing on him? Her blatant favoritism out of the brothers?

He probably could. And that was why he came to her in the mirror instead of some random, desperate woman who would've taken his hand without thinking twice.

Totoko hadn't realized, but when she stuttered the words in her bedroom that made the powerful, hulking man blubber into tears, she had managed to break both of their hearts.

The Queen bit her lip, tapping her nail on her chin. The crush on him had begun to terminate itself after he was suddenly stolen away from all of them, disappearing by itself by the time the mourning process had been done and over with for a while. But it left a void in the girl's chest that followed her into adolescence and adulthood that she just shrugged off as the pain of not being able to ever say goodbye to her best friend.

She had no idea that the children that still dwelled inside of them still held onto each other, fingers entwined tightly, the infatuation lasting longer than she thought it had. They refused to let the red string snap in half. Osomatsu had embraced it. She hadn't.

"Are you okay?"

Totoko broke out of her mind's rambling and glanced down at Chibita, who watched her concerningly.

"You're all red."

The Queen laughed awkwardly, making a face and giving a wave of her hand.

"I'm fine, I'm fine! Just the run getting to me, as all." She was sure she didn't sound all that convincing, but Chibita seemingly bought it anyway. Totoko rubbed her shoulder, Kara's tank top feeling awfully grimy after having wore it for quite a few days. She could wash it when they got back, _if_ they did.

Walking was an uncomfortably hushed way to move along, and Ichi admittedly wished they would begin to run again, despite being incredibly unathletic. Todomatsu walked next to him, toying around with Atsushi's phone, digging through his photos and contacts. The nun crinkled his nose in odium but didn't say anything, knowing that the diva of a man wouldn't stop if confronted. That businessman really was lucky he was freed of the youngest Matsuno while he could be. He would probably have no privacy.

Out of nowhere, Todo froze, throwing the phone to his chest and eyes darting towards the trees fearfully.

"Guys?" The choirboy peeped out, gathering the attention of Totoko and Chibita.

"Huh?" Totoko pulled up the waistline of Ichi's sweatpants.

"I heard something." Totty gnawed on his lip, looking around frantically, the panic making it hard for him to breathe again.

They all stopped to listen for a minute or two before Chibita just chuckled nervously.

"You must'a just been hearin' things, huh?" The oden cook humored him, glancing up at Totoko. The Queen nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, Totty, I don't hear anything." She twitched her wings, crossing her arms and giving him a small grin. "I don't think much oxygen has gotten to your brain since he let you go."

Todo shook his head in disagreement, swallowing hard and painfully.

"No. I know I heard something." Growing afraid, he clung to Ichimatsu, who withdrew his gun and cocked it. The nun did a slow 360 turn, peering inside the trees. Chibita withdrew an arrow and strung his bow.

"Where at, Todomatsu?" Ichi whispered, his voice muffled by his mask.

"Over here, maybe?" Osomatsu cackled, hanging out in a pine's branch, not flinching at all when Ichi whisked around and trained his gun on him and Chibita aim his arrow. He jumped down, dusting off his pants, giving them all a good look at the beating Jyushimatsu gave him. Blood from when he had gotten blasted with the bat poured down the side of his face, getting into his eyes and spilling over the already existing bullet. Totty screamed and hurried behind Ichimatsu, Totoko unsure of what to do without a weapon.

"You know..." Oso let out a chuckle, kicking his feet at the dirt. His voice was stiff and threatening. "You've all managed to _really_ piss me off."

Satan lifted his head and took a step forward, driving the group backwards. Chibita closed one eye and focused, preparing to let the arrow go if push came to shove. He didn't want to have to use it, but judging by how he had totally fucked up Todomatsu's windpipe like that, if Osomatsu dared to get near any one of them then by all means he'd fire every single one in the case.

"I tried being nice. I really did." Another step. His teeth became more and more visible and his calm mien much angrier. "And you chose to _mistreat_ me, and _disobey_ me, and leave your _fucking_ servant of a brother to do your dirty work for you." Oso snickered, feeling magic trickle to his fingertips. "Like cowards, right? Now, because of you, heaven's lost an angel and I'm _extremely_ behind schedule."

" _Disobey you?! Like we're fucking dogs?!"_ Chibita barked, his infamous short temper simmering in his tiny body, clutching the bow with white knuckles. Everyone glanced over to him worriedly, Osomatsu flicking his tail behind him slyly like a cat.

"Well, I mean." He took another step, derailing his path to Todomatsu and aiming himself at the cook instead. "I almost managed to off one of you, but I was interfered with." He watched Totty, who was blubbering behind the nun, hiding from the man who used to be his big brother. "You'd probably feel much better if you were dead, right? I bet it hurts to breathe, huh? You fucking runt."

" _Don't fucking talk to my little brother that way."_ Ichimatsu spat, holding back the urge to shoot right between the demon's eyes. Oso wasn't fazed even slightly, pinching his eyebrows at the fourth son, almost in disbelief.

"I'm sorry?" Osomatsu drew a hand to his ear, other hand on his hip. "Who exactly do _you_ think _you're_ talking to like that?" His lips were tight, biting down on his teeth as he approached the nun, who didn't budge. Even Totoko, Chibita, and Todomatsu moved backwards, but Ichi stood his ground, raising his chin in bravery; his shaking, unsteady arms suggested otherwise, however.

"Not my damn brother, I know that." Ichi retorted, feeling like he wanted to puke. Luckily, he was used to wearing a mask of someone who hardly showed any emotion save for anger, so he was able to pull it off. Oso came closer, slowly making his way to his little brother, not minding the barrel pointing at his head.

"Now, now... Ichimatsu, right?"

Ichi didn't answer, his gaze locked right on the devil. The latter laughed dryly.

"Figures. I can hardly tell that's you; that wall you have up is so damn thick, y'know." The devil thumbed at his fangs, smirking. "I'm curious- are you guys still poor like the good old days? Is food still scarce?" Oso stared right into Ichi's soul, the black holes he had for pupils sucking up the younger's composure rather quickly. The nun's knees started to wobble and Chibita moved where he was standing to have better aim, not liking how close Satan was getting to the anxious Matsu.

"Do you still eat everyone else's when they're not looking?" Ichi felt tears sting his eyes but he ignored them, remaining still and cold. Oso grinned with satisfaction, noting that he'd struck the right nerve. He drew closer.

"I bet you do, don't you? You and Choromatsu were always fat little pigs, leaving the rest of us to starve."

"Osomatsu, _stop talking to him like that!"_ Totoko shrieked, cautiously moving closer and darting her tail around too. Both her and Chibita shifted forward, preparing for interference. Todomatsu, like a child, ducked behind the nun and shoved his hands against his ears like he had in his delirium, squeezing as hard as he could, not wanting to hear anything. Fat tears rolled off of his chin.

Satan grew excited now, enjoying watching Ichimatsu deteriorate. He was right in front of the nun, his voice low and quiet, Ichi tilting his head back in an attempt to further himself, but all it did was reveal even more of the droplets that streamed down his cheeks.

"Well, since that hasn't changed, I wonder what else stayed the same? Can you tell me?" Oso waited for an answer, but the metallic shaking of the gun in his hands was the only noise that came from the younger of the two. "Do you still cry yourself to sleep? You do, don't you?" Osomatsu hissed at him with a smile. "You lay down and whine like a baby until the pitiful sound of your own sniffling pulls you under. Do you still hurt yourself?" Oso flicked his eyes down at his little brother's sleeves and coyly reached out. "I bet if we rolled these sleeves up I could strum the slits like a harp, right? Why don-"

Osomatsu was cut short by the bullet that pierced right into his eyesocket, driving him backwards into the dust, splattering his gore all over his little brother.

The other three let out deafening screams, Chibita dropping his bow and Totoko choking on the sharp intake of air she took, Todomatsu scrambling away before falling flat on his face. He began to hyperventilate, desperately wanting to unsee it. He understood why Karamatsu nii-san was so scarred from when they were ten. Osomatsu's blood drowned his socket, spouting out and spilling over the shape of his head, laying motionless. Going into shock, Ichi dropped his gun, hands trembling as bile rose dangerously up his throat.

" _Ichimatsu, you weren't supposed to use the gun!"_ Totoko screeched, hands on her head in panic. Chibita didn't know what to do, watching Totty squirm around screaming at the top of his lungs, the backs of his eyelids stained with his brother's blood. Ichi turned around to look at the Queen, face reflecting the sudden awareness of his audacity, and his stomach lurched as he ripped at the mask on his chin with a gag. Falling to his knees, he vomited up what little he had eaten in the past day, very much contradicting Osomatsu's accusations.

Chibita set his bow down, mind fogged by the noise of Todomatsu's screaming and Ichimatsu's retching, in total disbelief at what he had just seen. Shaken, he quietly looked over to Totoko, whose hands were pinned to her lips, tears soaking her pink face as they poured in rivers.

"O-Oh my God..." The Queen uttered, heart pounding a hundred miles an hour under her ribs as she watched the demon lay paralyzed as his face became covered in a bright red that glinted off of the light. It was over. They'd failed their mission.

Osomatsu's hand weakly shifted to his eye, floating over the socket, afraid to touch it. Totoko and Chibita screeched, bolting over to the hysterical brothers.

" _He's still alive?!"_ Chibita boomed in confusion, tugging at Todo's arm, who was pretty much dead weight. The cook knelt down and seized him by the shoulders, shaking him as hard as he could.

" _Didn't you hear me?! He's alive, you idiot; we need to go!"_

Totty's nose was running everywhere, shaking with traumatization, but casting a reluctant glance over to his brother confirmed that he definitely still clung to life. Frantic, he accepted Chibita's offer to help him stand up and managed to bring himself to his feet, watching his other big brother worriedly. Totoko grabbed under Ichi's armpits, trying to quickly but gently pull him up, careful not to make him throw up again. The nun wiped at his mouth, anxiety stealing away any words that he could've said.

"Ichimatsu, _please,_ we need to go!" Totoko begged, pulling him backwards a little to try to get him to carry himself.

Osomatsu discerned the thick fluid that coated his face, his socket feeling as if someone lit a match and jabbed it behind the eyeball, carelessly yanking it around. Pain rocketed throughout his skull and he could sense a weight in his face, a second bullet joining his bones. His vision was blurred from the blood and he gathered the strength to touch his cheek, pulling his hand away. Mixed in with the gore was a clear, gooey liquid that poured out of the socket like water. Oso realized that eigengrau had consumed his right eye, the left eye left to twitch and sting with irritation as it struggled to become his main line of sight.

His heart fell. He only had one eye now. The other one erupted in the impact.

Ichi grabbed ahold of Totoko, unable to look away from his squirming brother, and the demoness quickly scooped her arms under him to pick him up. She whirled around towards Chibita and Todomatsu and ran as fast as her legs would carry her.

" _Hurry up!"_ She called desperately after them, the two left stumbling as they tried to catch up. Todomatsu could hardly get his legs to work, but he continued on anyway.

Oso lifted his head, his brain pulsing and feeling as if it were going to explode. How had he survived that...? He didn't know.

He could hardly see the four running off, dust kicking up and blurring his vision even more. Groaning, he looked down and caught the glint of the gun that they had left behind.

 _Huh..._

Slowly, Oso pulled himself forward, stretching his arm as far as he could, wincing with intense pain as the fire in his eye worsened and could feel the blood gush out with the strain of his muscles. Slipping the handle around his fingers, he grabbed it, still warm from Ichi's hand.

Satan stood up, trying to brush off his injury, peering out ahead of him as the figures of his friends and family grew smaller and smaller. A vein in his temple undulated.

 _Now_ they'd really done it.

Shoving the barrel carelessly in his pocket, Oso took into the air, blood drenching his suit as the wind brought it back once it spilt off of his face. Were they actually that stupid to leave all of their weapons behind? Humans were fucking dumb. He was glad he wasn't one anymore.

He hit the ground in front of them, Totty letting out a scream as they all stumbled backwards in horror. Ichi clamped his hands over his mouth again and Totoko pulled them all close, trying to haul them away without any success. The distraught King ignored the searing pain in his eye and let his blood flow down his skin, huffing with rage as he withdrew the Glock. Wordlessly, he pointed the gun at the group and fired it randomly, everyone but Totty smart enough to spring out of the way. The bullet missed him by a hair, but it was enough to freeze him in place out of fear. Osomatsu stormed forward.

" _Don't fucking touch him!"_ Chibita squawked, searching frantically for something to bash his head with, at a loss of options. Osomatsu didn't do so much as flinch, casting his glance over annoyedly as he drew energy to the palms of his hands, firing off red bolts in his direction. Dust exploding into clouds around him, Chibita was struck and thrown backwards, cracking his head against the ground and knocking him out. Totoko held on tighter to Ichimatsu, holding her breath, while Todomatsu still lingered smack in the center.

" _Totty!"_ They both cried out, gathering his attention. The youngest began to start toward them, but Satan snapped his head to the side, startling the choirboy into staying in place. Osomatsu collected the magic in his palm again, holding it teasingly.

"I warned you. I fucking warned you _all,_ yet you still insisted on acting like this was some sort of game." He blinked, his right eyelids twitching uncomfortably as it struggled to adjust to not covering anything. "Life isn't a game. I know that firsthand. But since I used to think I could just do whatever and nothing would happen-and _I_ died-don't you think it would be a bit fair if you got the same outcome?"

"Osomatsu-kun, _please_ just stop for a minute." Totoko pleaded, voice heavy as she fought back tears. "Can't you just look around and-"

"-Listen, I'm not even gonna let you waste your time." Osomatsu rolled his eye, blowing out a sigh of disgust. "No sort of shitty-ass attempt at convincing me that I'm not actually 'evil' because 'I'm still the same old Osomatsu I was before' would actually make me drop everything that I've done. I'm evil. I'm literally fucking Satan. I'm not gonna change." He laughed bitterly. "You know, it was really stupid of you to leave that mirror. I loved you, Totoko, and I would've _never_ put you in this situation. Now you're minutes away from your death." He looked down at his hand, the red gem matching the one the Queen wore. "Even once you're dead, I'll wear this ring on my finger as a reminder that at one point in time, you _had_ to have loved me even a little to be able to agree to kiss me and make me your husband. Platonic love or not."

Flustered, Osomatsu looked away, swallowing hard. The energy in his palm intensified and flickered in anticipation.

"...Sorry."

The King discharged bursts of the magic in his hand, blasting both his best friend and little brother mercilessly. Totoko and Ichimatsu both recoiled in terror but it didn't do much, the bolts striking them anyway and knocking them both unconscious. Todomatsu could hardly breathe, backing away from the devil as he blubbered and whined, but Oso didn't care. He steadied the gun.

"You know, I thought about just beating you cold and slitting your throat like the others, but you seem to be especially persistent." Oso continued to bleed profusely, Todo replaying the image of him being shot over and over in his mind, bringing his hands to his mouth as his eyes widened in horror.

Osomatsu scanned Totty's neck, clicking his tongue. "Constantly evading death like some sort of fortunate little bastard. Why can you do it, but I couldn't?" He sounded frustrated, and for a millisecond, the youngest found himself feeling bad for him.

Todomatsu shook his head fearfully, unsure what to say. Oso took a step forward like he had before, but Totty stayed in place. His Adam's Apple bobbed as he fought back tears. This was it.

"Is it because of your God? Has He been watching over you and getting in my way this whole time?" Osomatsu cackled, the sixth son watching his life flash before his eyes. "I gotta give it to Him. It's definitely been impressive, since this world is mine now and He _still_ managed to have a say in something." Expression dimming, Satan bit the inside of his lip as his eyebrows fell and he pressed the cold barrel up to the right of Totty's forehead. Todo let out a whine.

"I'll give you a nice little wound to match mine. Come on, put it this way, runt; on the bright-..."

The marimbas in Totty's pocket cut him short and he slowly lowered the gun curiously, inspecting Todomatsu's face as his expression faded from dread to lament. Oso smirked, gesturing to the dress.

"Answer it."

Shakily, Todo fished Atsushi's phone out, thumb wobbly over the screen. Finally mustering the strength to place it where it needed to be, he brought the phone up to his ear, lip quivering and eyes glassy.

"H-Hello...?"

"Totty?" Karamatsu was instantly concerned by his little brother's sniffling and wavering voice, growing louder. "Todomatsu, what's wrong?"

Oso brought the gun back up and made a point to keep adjusting where it was, trying to find the spot that best matched up with his own bullet. Totty began to wail, clutching the phone tightly.

" _I love you, nii-san! Please don't forget...!"_

"Todomatsu?! _Please,_ brother, tell me what's wrong!"

" _You were always my favorite brother! I know we aren't supposed to pick favorites but I think everyone subconsciously does it, but I knew damn well you were my favorite- my favorite-"_

Osomatsu smiled at Totty, having found the right angle to fire the gun and make sure he got results. Todomatsu's grip loosened in fear, knees threatening to give out and the phone starting to slip in his hands.

"Totty, where are you?!"

" _You were such a good big brother! I knew this was going to happen! Jyushimatsu's dead and Ichimatsu is about to die and I-I'm about to die..."_ Totty's free hand was brought up to his mouth and nose, sputtering a sob. His voice was hushed on top of the involuntarily croak he had from the windpipe damage. " _Oh G-God..."_

Karamatsu sounded hysterical on the other line, his voice powerful enough for Osomatsu to hear over the noise Totty was making. He remembered Todo and Kara were always real close when they all were little. Satan didn't even know it was him calling; that just made it even better.

Oso was completely set. All he had to do was pull the trigger.

A cheshire grin spread across his face immediately before he received another violent blow in the skull with Jyushi's bat, sending him roughly into the dust again. Only this time around, he stayed down, the numerous lesions to his head being too much for him to bear at once.

Todomatsu went into shock, letting the events of the past few minutes soak in, as well as the fact that he had just narrowly escaped getting a hole through his head and how his presumably dead big brother now had four arms.

Poor Karamatsu, however, had just heard the ugly noise of the metal bat crushing bone and tender flesh and broke into frantic sobs, assuming the worst.

" _Todomatsu?! Todomatsu, are you there?! Dearest baby brother, are you alright?!"_ The lack of an answer drove him to heartbreak. He bawled on the other line, deep voice plagued with emotional quakes.

" _Oh, Totty... Little T-Todomatsu... I... I can't believe that... This can't be true..."_

"N-Nii-san...?"

Karamatsu gasped so suddenly he choked, stuttering through tears, " _T-Todom-matsu?!"_

Jyushimatsu knelt down to place a hand on Oso's neck, the demon's hair caked with blood as it lay mussed on the still body. Totty collapsed of exhaustion, a smile stretching across his salt-stained cheeks, clutching the phone with both hands.

"Nii-san... I-I'm okay, nii-san..."

Jyushi felt the vein under Osomatsu's skin pump blood and let out a sigh of relief. For a second, he thought he might've killed him. And while he really would've liked to, he knew they had a reason for climbing the mountain and wouldn't forgive himself if he let it dissolve.

"Totty, oh my God..." Karamatsu bit his tongue at the mentioning of the Lord's name, knowing he'd used it incorrectly, but was too busy being solaced by the sound of his brother's voice to care. "Todomatsu, what's happened?"

"Karamatsu, I know y-you're..." Todo swallowed to calm himself down. "You're probably really worried and confused. But we're alright. We're okay. I have to go; I can't talk anymore." He realized that somewhere in the middle of the confrontation, his hat had fallen off of his head, and he reached out to replace it where it belonged, stained with droplets of his brother's blood.

"I'll see you in a little bit, okay?"

Kara breathed through his nose, horribly shaken from the scare he'd had. "...Alright, Todomatsu."

"Love you."

"I love you too."

Ending the call, Todo looked up at the modified Jyushimatsu, who peered down at him worriedly.

"J-Jyushimatsu, you saved my life..."

"Me? Nah, it wasn't me!" Jyushi seemed entirely oblivious to the magnitude of what he'd done, giving Todo the little laugh he always did. "Thank Karamatsu nii-san! If he hadn't called you, it wouldn't have given me the extra minute that I used to get here!"

He offered Totty one of his four hands and the choirboy took it, throwing his arms around the angel in both appreciation and ease at knowing Osomatsu hadn't killed either of them. Jyushi reciprocated the embrace, shoving his cheek against his little brother's forehead.

"Nii-san, what happened...?" Todo stepped back, taking in his new appearance confusedly. He drew his attention to his forehead, shoulders hiking in surprise. " _Ehh?!_ You have a third eye too!"

"Choromatsu nii-san said that I fulfilled my job as your guardian angel because I'd saved you back on the summit! He said without me, you would've died right there!" He spun excitedly, showing off his six wings with his arms outstretched. "I'm a seraph now! The ultimate angel! _Boeehhh!"_ He shoved the middle and index of each hand into his mouth and stuck out his tongue, crossing all of his eyes to the center. Totty laughed, tears rolling down his face. They were alright. They were okay.

And not even trudging through literal living Hell had faded Jyushimatsu's smile. Todomatsu wished he could borrow some of his optimism.

"Ah, Totty, your neck!" Jyushi pointed, the contusions a sore thumb. Todo glanced down, having gotten to used to the pain in his throat and on his skin that they'd become nearly numb.

"Oh, yeah, I kinda forgot." Todo chuckled, the seraph unclipping the shampoo bottle full of water off of his belt.

"Come here!" Jyushi yelled, but went to Totty anyway, pouring some of it in a cupped hand. He tilted it over the wounds, running his hand over them once, watching as the bruises went through all of the stages of discoloration before disappearing entirely, the choirboy feeling relief on his collarbone.

"He crushed your windpipe." The angel affirmed, Totty nodding. He thrust the bottle in his hands abruptly, catching the youngest off guard.

"Drink some!"

Todomatsu held the container up awkwardly, squeezing it around its middle to squirt some of it into his mouth. His face contorted at the taste; whoever emptied out the bottle obviously didn't rinse it out well enough. Swallowing the soap-tasting water, Totty immediately forgot about its flavor once he felt the rock at the bottom of his throat dissolve as his trachea repaired itself. A smile spread across his face, infectious to Jyushi, who took the bottle back.

"Thanks, nii-san."

"Of course, Totty!"

He turned around, looking at the mess of blood and the dust covered bodies, all knocked unconscious. The seraph brought his hand to his chin in thought before snapping his fingers. Laughing, he ran over to Chibita first, scooping him under the top right arm.

"These arms are cool!" Jyushimatsu guffawed as he ran over to Ichimatsu and Totoko, lifting them up too. Stepping over to Osomatsu, he reached down to pick him up, but realized he couldn't hold him like a football with his wings in the way. The blood didn't irk him at all, wiping it on his white dress, Totty making a face at the sloppiness. Jyushi put a hand on the side of his face, frowning, but decided to pick him up so he was he could slip his hand _between_ his wings, letting Oso dangle upside-down compared to the others.

His four arms now occupied and covered in gore, the seraph didn't blink an eye (or three) at the mess, smiling at Todomatsu.

"We should probably hurry, right? I don't want Osomatsu to wake up. I'm afraid one more hit to the head and he'd be gone."

The seraph continued on anyway, not really giving Todo any room to rebuttal. The choirboy walked next to him, the feathery sets of wings brushing against his side from their large size.

"Do you have any idea where we are, though?" Totty rubbed his neck, taking deep breaths to remember how great it felt to have oxygen flood his lungs. Jyushi shook his head, Oso's blood dripping off of his body and leaving a trail behind them.

"I'm sure we're close. You guys made it pretty far. That's why I couldn't find you."

The two brothers walked quietly for a while, the blazing heat of the apocalypse making their skin sticky with sweat. This had been one hell of a day, and it wasn't even anywhere over yet. Oso's red sky loomed ominously above them, reminding them that while hope might've seemed like it was overwhelming, they all were going to die in a week anyway. Todomatsu looked down at the King's limp body, mouth hanging open and ichor leaking out of his face, wounds a reminder of what he had done to Jyushimatsu and how he had driven the peaceful sunshine of a man resort to violence.

"Jyushimatsu nii-san?"

"Hai!"

"Do you hate Osomatsu now?"

"Of course not." The seraph didn't hesitate whatsoever, looking straight ahead with his typical large grin on his face. Todo looked surprised and disgusted at the same time.

"Why not? He nearly killed _all_ of us and kept hurting us and digging at all of our insecurities-"

"-Totty, I'm not saying I'm excusing what he's done. It's completely wrong. But I don't hate him." He hoisted the devil's body upwards, his grip slipping. "He said a lot of stuff I don't think he means. He's just scared and upset over Totoko and had gotten so overwhelmed by seeing us after not seeing us for almost 20 years that he didn't know how to act."

Todo crossed his arms, spitting, "He could've just looked in a damn mirror!"

"Totty."

The sixth felt incredibly immature and his face burned, leaving him to tug on his hat. Being scolded by Jyushimatsu always stung a little more for some reason.

"You know it's not the same."

"...I know."

Todomatsu didn't want to talk for a while, keeping his mouth shut out of embarrassment. Eventually, once their feet began to hurt, they overheard the noises of the church bells.

"Ah!" Jyushimatsu looked to Totty excitedly, pushing his way into the woods that would wind into the lake. Todo bound after him, pulling his phone out of his pocket and texting Karamatsu to let him know. His heart fluttered. He didn't actually think they'd make it.

 **Atsushi:** _Karamatsu niisan ! We're in the woods ! Meet us by the lake, alright ? :3c_

Almost instantly, a text message came through when he clicked the button to shut off the screen, turning it right back on.

 **Keiko** (now): _Absolutely, dearest Tottymatsu!_ _ー_ _( ´ ▽ ` )_ _ﾉ_

Todomatsu had no idea how Kara planned to break away from the services to join them, but that was a problem for him to deal with.

They almost seemed like they gradually broke into a run, eager to reach Choromatsu's lake. Leaves crunched under their feet, breath huffing as they tried to rush, working their way through. Finally they hit the clearing, the water still the dark green it was despite the tainting of every other water source they'd come across. Desperate for the relief of knowing they'd did what they needed to, they hurried over to the base of the dock. Jyushi set down Chibita, Totoko, and Ichimatsu gently, bringing a couple arms down to get a better grip onto Osomatsu.

Jyushi looked his big brother in the face. He had _two_ shiny things in his face now instead of just one and it was bleeding awfully bad. His eyes were shut, but the right one was partly open, revealing a void in the socket where an eye used to be. His mouth that was usually shaped into a smirk fell into a limp frown, his sharp fangs poking out from behind his lips. The whip he had for a tail was lax, his leathery wings draping over his shoulders like a blanket.

And sure enough, if Jyushi stood still, he could feel Oso's chest expand and contract in his hands, his lungs working just as Totoko said they were. This wasn't just some sick fever dream. Osomatsu-kun really was alive.

Fluttering his wings to carry him into the middle of the lake, the seraph lowered his nii-san's body, letting it float onto the water. He could hear a terrible sizzling sound as the demon's skin began to burn from the exposure, jolting him awake. Oso frantically looked around to see where he was, letting out shrill screams as the flesh felt like it was melting off of his body. He desperately reached for Jyushimatsu as if to beg for him to _please take him out of the water, it burns, it hurts, I'm scared,_ but the seraph turned away, fighting the urge to do it out of pity.

Quickly, vines of plantlife shot out of the lake, securing themselves around Satan's ankles. Osomatsu felt small and panicked as he shrieked, squirming as he felt the ropes slip around his wrists too, his blood diffusing into the water around him. The ten-year-old boy that still lived within him grew terrified and surfaced himself, kicking and thrashing about to try and escape the blistering water and constraints.

As swiftly as they appeared, the vines tore under again, yanking the demon along with them and leaving behind nothing but a calm stream of bubbles to pop on the surface.


	23. Into Silence

The binds were awfully tight, digging into Satan's skin as they dragged him deeper and deeper into the water, the pressure increasing on his chest the further he got. The feeling of flames that danced on his skin slowly became numb, soothing the tense demon slightly as he flailed and struggled to escape the vines. He could feel the stinging of the bullet in his eye, unnerved even more by the deep darkness of the lake by only being able to see it through one.

Eventually, Oso realized that the aquatic flora wasn't going to release him any time soon, so he focused on holding his breath instead.

Slowly, he sank, the shining scales of the koi slithering around him the only thing he could really see. The bubbling, steady noise of water coursing into his ears gave him a headache on top of the pain from his eye. He could feel plants brush up against his legs through his pants, the slimy leaves sticking to the fabric momentarily before letting them be on their way. Satan made a face. This was only a lake, right? How deep _was_ it? Then again, the sky was dark above them from his doing, so perhaps that contributed to his inability to perceive much of anything. (And maybe his lack of a pair of eyes.)

It seemed like eons before something finally entered his line of sight, a small beacon of light at the bottom of the lake. Oso blew a couple of air bubbles out of his nose to place less pressure on his lungs and squinted, trying to see what it was. He felt his hair and tail float freely around him in the womb-like space, covering his horns slightly and tapping against his wings every so often. He could make out a figure, legs crossed in concentration as they sat quietly in the murky sand, the hand resting on their knee glowing a gentle green. The vines around Osomatsu's limbs grew lackadaisical, tugging him all the way to the bottom of the lake where his knees hit the soft ground, sand shifting up from where it became disturbed. Oso winced at the sudden jolt, a shot of pain coursing through his head, but he sought for the being in front of him, the shackles still keeping him confined.

They had a white gown that flowed delicately around them from the water streams that moved past, wristlets of lavish greenery around their arms that matched the even more august crown on top of their head. Jet black hair was unbound to gravity, drifting nebulously around their head. The goddess in front of him was impressively graceful.

And the face that stared back at him was his.

Osomatsu nearly sucked water up his nose in shock, heart tumbling out of his chest onto the lake floor where it continued to throb. His lungs felt suddenly constrained again and he released a bit more air, finding it almost shameful to look into the identical visage of his old best friend with his heavy wings on his back and his horns and fangs glaringly present. He tried to hide his tail behind him, but with the currents it just wound up floating back into view anyway.

Choromatsu looked pained to see him, but hid most of it surprisingly well. He just looked his big brother in the face, the childish demon averting his eyes to avoid having to meet him for as long as he could. The goddess blew a great deal of air out of his nose, the plethora of bubbles rising rapidly above them.

"Can you hear me?" was all Choro said with his voice nearly muted by the water, leaning downwards to try and look him in the face. Osomatsu mustered the strength to acknowledge him, nodding his head. The goddess sighed, expelling another profusion of bubbles, Oso's eyebrows twitching enviously.

Choro leant back, peering up at the surface. His mouth seemed to be angled downwards in thought, Oso noted, and it kinda made him look like a frog.

"Do you like my lake?" His little brother hummed, listening to the calm rush of the water around them. "I do. It's silent at the bottom."

Osomatsu was forcibly mute, taking the time to try and pull his hand out of the restraints of the vines. Instead of loosening, their grip got exceedingly tighter, the pain enough to make him wince hard and blow out more air. He flicked his eyes up to the daydreaming man and scowled in irritation.

 _Is he the one doing this?! He wasn't even looking at me! How did he know?_

Choromatsu continued to watch the surface, Osomatsu growing impatient.

 _What kind of a reunion is this?_

"You know, I'm actually quite proud of myself for holding it together as well as I am." Choro admitted, lowering his head back down and toying with his hands nervously. Oso's face loosened, letting out more air as he quite honestly didn't know what to do. It wasn't like he could say anything in response. The goddess closed his eyes.

"This whole time I've been worried sick that when I finally got to see you again, I'd be a mess and wouldn't really be able to say anything." Choro's crown began to drift off of his head and he grabbed ahold of it, pushing it down into his hair. "And I've only gotten six days to prepare for it. I thought you were gone forever. I had no idea what you were actually up to."

Osomatsu tried to readjust his knees to make them somewhat more comfortable against the sand, but the vines kept him pinned exactly where he was. He released a bit more oxygen.

"Are you proud with what you've done?" Choromatsu interrogated quietly, staring his big brother directly in the face. The King of Hell frowned at his question, casting his gaze past the goddess. He wasn't enjoying being scolded. He focused on the noise of the movement around him, but his brother's voice still burrowed into his ears, muffled by the water or not.

"I'll take your distance as a 'no', then," Choro figured, pulling one of his wristlets back down when it had floated further up his arm, "You killed Jyushimatsu. He's already died once before. You're really lucky I was able to get ahold of him or else he would've been gone."

Oso blew out more air, noting that his lungs were almost empty. His eye darted up to the surface, trying to see if he could figure out how far up it was. He _had_ killed Jyushi, sure, but he didn't really feel anything over it. He was Satan. He was gonna have to kill everyone on Earth in a week if he didn't drown at the bottom of this damn lake first.

" _Tell_ me you feel even just the tiniest bit bad."

Oso regarded his brother, looking him up and down to try and convey some sort of emotion. Choro sighed again, making it a point to breathe deeply in before expelling the bubbles through his mouth and nose. The demon wanted to strike him out of frustration.

 _He's doing that on purpose!_

"I think it's because you never grew up." Choromatsu made the weird angular mouth he did and rested his cheek upon his fist. "Your body's aged, but in terms of mentality, you're still the ten-year-old you were when you were stolen from us."

Oso felt a chill shoot down his spine and he clenched his teeth. That wasn't true! He was given his body back when he accepted the second chance to live. Why wouldn't his mind age alongside his body?

But he felt his heart pound against his ribs at his little brother's words. This was his best friend. He probably knew Osomatsu better than he did.

"Osomatsu-kun, you're scared." Choro dug deep into Oso's head by just sitting there and staring at him, the demon starting to panic and struggle against the vines. A squeezing of the goddess's glowing green fingers tightened the grip.

"You're scared of who you are because you know it's not you. And everyone else knows it's not you, either. But you're shielding yourself with some personality that you know is terrifyingly innaccurate." Choromatsu's face contorted strangely and Oso blew out the rest of his air, alarm beginning to course throughout his body. He was out of oxygen.

"But we love you, Osomatsu. We all love you so much and that's why we're doing this." Choro's mouth quivered and he wiped at his eye, even though Oso couldn't see any tears. But that might've had something to do with the fact that they were underwater. The demon's lungs began to close in and it became harder for him to hold his breath.

' _This'?_

"Ah..." Choro rubbed his eye with a small smile. "My composure is starting to waver." His face and shoulders moved in a way that made Oso guess that he was sniffling. The goddess folded his hands and held them in his lap, but his lips still shuddered and his eyes still pinched.

"Okay, so you don't feel bad. But have you at least missed us at all?"

Osomatsu didn't know what to do. Truthfully, not really; he was all-too entirely used to being an only child, the idea of the Matsuno quintuplets nailed into his brain. He had gotten unattached over the years and forgot all about them. He hesitated, not wanting to tell him the truth ( _why?_ he asked himself), but not being able to come up with a convincing excuse quick enough and just kept flapping his wings; it was tough to do so in the water and he just created disturbances in the plants growing around them.

Choromatsu looked as if his heart had been stomped on and his face worsened, placing his hands over his mouth. The nebula of hair floated hauntingly around his head, and when placed alongside his dress and pained expression, he looked like a phantom more than a goddess now; his appearance was heavily blurred by Oso's blood that diluted into the dark, green water. Unnerved, the eldest tried to move away, but Choromatsu clenched his fist much tighter than he had the last time, Oso's wrists cracking in the grip. He winced, getting dizzy. He needed to breathe.

"You really didn't...?" Choro croaked, invisible tears soaking into the water. He shook, maintaining solid eye contact with his older brother. Oso felt guilt shoot down his spine, emotion flowing through his veins that hadn't been there before. _Had_ he really not missed them any? At least he didn't think he did. But right now, watching his little brother weep in hurt, he realized what life he left behind and chose to entirely ignore.

It was someplace where he was truly _loved_ and not treated like some pawn _._

Osomatsu was overflowing with remorse that was hitting him all at once. He strangled two of his brothers and killed one of them. He attacked one's insecurities and exposed his deepest secrets in front of people that weren't even family. He shoved a gun up to his youngest brother's head with full intention of blowing a bullet out of the other side.

He felt his eye sting as tears struggled to fall into the water, gnawing on his lip to try and prevent himself from losing it. Choromatsu, however, sputtered into bawls, breathing heavily and shoulders shrugging with sobs as his godlike appearance no longer mattered. Thousands of oxygen bubbles rose out of his mouth and nose, rushing to the surface, taking his crown slowly along with them. Oso felt his lungs begin to tremble as he clung to what little air he had left.

 _I'm going to drown._

He flailed in the vines' hold, desperately and frantically trying to bust out of them to no avail. The goddess was entirely oblivious, grinding his palms into his eyes.

"After how badly we've missed you...?" Choro wheezed, looking through at the demon, who was beginning to panic terribly. Osomatsu wanted nothing more than to cry and cry and mourn his absence with his favorite brother (as bad as that was), but he needed to focus on getting to the surface. His heart and his mind were battling each other, unsure of what to do. As a result, the King struggled and bit so hard onto his lip that he drew even more blood, the delicate liquid staining the water around them from Jyushi's bat and Ichi's bullet.

"Osomatsu, I don't think you know how much you were loved." Choromatsu murmured sadly, his cheeks puffed in juvenile melancholy.

Oso's poor vision began to spot. The earth around them was closing in. His lungs felt as if they were entirely deflated somehow, alveoli popping like balloons. He bit down hard onto his teeth, still thrashing in the vines.

"We spoke of you every day. Mama and Papa would constantly weep in your memory even years after you were gone." Choro was seemingly growing hysteric, shifting out of the position he had been in ever since Osomatsu sank. _"E-Every day after school, we would visit your grave. For a long while, we'd be m-messes by the time we got home from crying so hard. Our eyes would be so swollen that we'd look like g-goldfish..."_

The demon flapped his wings and whipped his tail around as fast as he could as a last ditch effort to break free. If he didn't untangle himself from the vines, he was going to wind up dead.

Eyes red and bubbles spewing out of his mouth, Choromatsu kicked his legs out behind him, swimming the short distance to his older brother, arms outstretched like a child. Osomatsu-san tried to lean away, the dread of impending death that he was swamped with demanding for space, _any_ space. But at the same time, Osomatsu-kun longed for a little brother's affection, deprived of it for nearly seventeen years and numb to what it felt like. As his crucial need for air slithered up his throat and tugged on his tongue, the two sides of Osomatsu made their mind up.

Face washing over with similarly childlike pain, the ten-year-old boy reached out his arms, too, grabbing the hands of his best friend to pull him into a tight embrace, throwing his head over the goddess's shoulder with his lips quivering terribly. Choromatsu's emerald hand loosened itself so he could reciprocate the hug, the vines around Oso's wrists and ankles unraveling, but the lack of oxygen in his body kept him sunken onto the floor. God and Satan disregarded their alignments as they clung to one another like kids, Osomatsu feeling warm spots on his cheeks where Choro's tears dissolved into the water and diffused onto his skin. He could hear the goddess choke out an ugly sob and felt the bubbles from his mouth hit his ear.

" _Osomatsu-kun, I've missed you so much...!"_

The intense closeness of his little brother's voice as compared to how muffled it had sounded when he was across from him on top of the emotion it carried immediately crushed Oso's chest and cracked his heart in half. Unable to take it anymore, the demon shoved his face into the side of his brother's head with a hand on the other side and let the beginning of an abundance of tears disintegrate into the water, opening his mouth to weep.

With a single, sharp intake of breath, Osomatsu's body stiffened as water crashed into his lungs, hammering against his ribs.

But his vision never went.

Panicked, Oso's consciousness remained as he kept inhaling as deep as he possibly could've, struggling to get air but water flooding him instead. He ripped at his neck, trying to kick to the surface.

 _Why am I not dead yet?! What's happening?!_

Choro let go of his brother, alarmed at first, but realized what was happening and grabbed his shoulder.

"Osomatsu! Osomatsu, it's alright, you're not drowning, just relax!" He tried to calm the demon down, but it wasn't really working. Oso gasped and wheezed, the noise of struggle audible to Choro through the water.

That was when Osomatsu began to feel the pain.

It was slow at first, but gradually the fire that he had felt when he first hit the surface of the water returned, smoldering his skin with unbearable agony. Oso choked on the lakewater as he floundered in terror and misery, unsure what the hell was happening to him. It felt like his skin was bubbling under his suit. He just wanted to cry with Choromatsu and now he was being ripped to pieces.

In his hands, it felt like somebody had wedged needles under his fingernails and was kicking them as hard as they could. Nearly cracking his teeth by biting down so hard, Oso flung his hands out in front of him and watched as the claws he had grown so used to sunk back into his fingers, arms shaking from the torment.

His attention was quickly taken away when he felt his fangs retract further into his gums, spreading the flesh out further than it was meant to go and making them bleed. He slapped a hand over his mouth to try and cease the pain while he still struggled for air, Choro's hand still on his shoulder.

 _What... the fuck... is h-happening to me?!_

Osomatsu let out a scream as he felt the torture ripple down his back, feeling as if somebody jabbed a knife into the base of his neck and tore it down his spine. He trembled, nearly paralyzed by the agony, the fire still eating at his skin. The goddess swam backwards, gown flowing in the water, giving his big brother space.

At the same time, Oso felt spirals of pain twist into his skull, and he threw his throbbing hands to his head, swallowing water rapidly in failed attempts to breathe. His thumb and index gripped one of his horns, which were seemingly dissolving in his fingers. He tried to look up but failed as they were out of his line of sight; the gracious white light they faded into was not, however.

Oso's jaw dropped at the illumination, left in awe by its beauty. He figured it would be best to deal with the crushing pressure on his lungs rather than to try and get oxygen that wasn't there and stopped trying.

The misery in his back continued, his skin stretching and ripping under his suit. He tore into his cheek with his teeth for leverage, dragging his bloody, raw nails down his face regardless of the needles, the agony unbearable. His vision was fading in and out as he grew dizzy again. He could see Choromatsu's appearance grow lighter and lighter as the goddess watched him convulse with his hands folded, the demon getting enough strength to fight the pain and turn his head to the side. His wings were materializing into the gleams too, specks of radiance floating to the surface. Eventually, he noticed that the last of the light had begun its way to the top and the agony began to slowly disappear.

Hell's old King bled in several spots at once from the sudden modification and what was already there, his hair around him washing itself of what was caked from Jyushimatsu's encounters. The smoke-like crimson danced around the two of them. His windpipe refused to work from being so waterlogged and his limbs grew weak, eyelids fluttering as he fought insensibility.

Choromatsu swam closer, sliding his right arm under Osomatsu's left, angular mouth determined. Oso went completely limp, exhausted, and double vision set in as the goddess yanked upwards once to really free him from the plants that hadn't completely let go. The bleeding brother let out a groan of pain as he began to blink.

Leaning against his baby brother as he started to kick towards the water's surface, Osomatsu saw white light that wasn't of his dissolving wings, figuring it was probably okay to close his eyes and welcome it. Gurgling out a sigh with the lake in his lungs, his head lolled over as he fell into unconsciousness.


	24. Unexpected

Choromatsu surfaced, the loud noise of the splashing water making the others flinch after watching the lake with held breath for so long. He had a tight arm around Oso's chest under his arms to make sure he didn't sink, the first son's head uncomfortably flopped to the side.

Immediately, Karamatsu bolted all the way up the dock and leaped into the water in his priests' gear, rushing out to them. All of the others flocked to the shore, hanging onto one another as the limp eldest brother was traded between the goddess and Kara, who slung him over his shoulder. The second son was nearly pulled underwater between his brother's dead weight and the heavy outfit he was wearing, but he didn't care. Ignoring the bullet hole he knew was pressed against his back, Kara paddled to the shore with heavy breath, pulling his big brother after him and laying him out on the sand.

Everyone ran over, the brothers all clinging to one another as they took in the sight of their nii-san when he wasn't trying to kill anyone. He looked a lot different without his wings and his horns, his fangs no longer poking out from behind his lips; his eyes were closed peacefully and his mouth still. And of course, the right side of his face was left a gory mess from both the 18-year-old and two-hour-old bullet wounds.

Kara clamped a hand over his mouth and surveyed the injury quietly. Kneeling with Oso's head cradling in his lap, he looked exactly as he had in Matsuyo's arms when Kara had snuck downstairs to see what she was wailing about.

The horrible memory began to flood him and he shook his head as he fought it, feeling involuntary tears begin to pour down his face. Everyone else looked to him, feeling their eyes well too in either empathy or relief or both. The brothers wordlessly clumped together and leaned on each other as they cried silent tears of relief, hanging onto Karamatsu in support as he began to quietly relive the traumatization he had suffered from for the past eighteen years.

Choromatsu approached the bank, feeling the shackles around his ankles tug as their length was reaching its end. He fought against them anyway, desperately trying to reach the congregation. He'd be damned if he was gonna stay in the lake at a time like this.

"He's alive, don't stress out," Choro stumbled, slipping against the shore in the struggle and falling into the sand. He threw out a hand and dug his fingernails into the ground, slowly pulling himself forward. Totoko and Chibita watched concerningly, kneeling next to the fallen youkai and leaving the brothers to themselves. Totoko was entirely used to seeing Osomatsu by now and Chibita wasn't sure of what else to do but watch the sextuplets grieve and celebrate at the same time.

"Somebody needs to pump his chest, though." Choromatsu pointed up quickly before bringing his hand back onto the bank, making it a couple more inches. "He's alive, but he's not able to breathe very well with all that water in his lungs."

The brothers exchanged glances while wiping at each others' tears, trying to figure out who the person to do that was. After a couple seconds of nonverbal communication, they all turned their heads toward Totoko and Chibita at the same time like the hivemind they used to be, looking them over. The two regarded one another, both shaking their heads at their lack of CPR knowledge. Finally, the seraph took the bottom set of arms and gently pushed against Totty and Totoko, having them give him space. Everyone shifted over, Ichi and Todo throwing their arms around the trembling Karamatsu, his hands stuck in his hair.

Jyushimatsu peered down at his big brother to take in his appearance. He resembled a corpse, but the seraph knew better than that. However, the fact that the bullet holes were gently gushing gore after having slowed from the water and his face was sunken in loomed around them; he looked as if he legitimately was just shot dead in the street again.

The angel began to shake, looking Oso in the face. He looked to be a bit swollen and waterlogged himself. Jyushi knew exactly what that felt like. He had drowned before, too.

To top it all off, the way he was lying and the position of his head recalled memories of watching Choromatsu convulse quietly with death throes in his futon from heaven, blood trickling from his lips from the fatal pneumonia.

"Jyushimatsu, please hurry," the goddess called for him from the bank, still tugging himself forward. Hearing his nii-san's voice and seeing his face helped calm and bring the seraph back down, reminding him that the past was the past and they all were miraculously okay now; if he didn't get the water out of Oso's chest, though, they might forever remain a set of five. He cracked his knuckles, crossing his hands over his brother's torso, and shoved down hard on the ribcage.

Ichi got up to grab Choromatsu's hand, trying to help heave him further up the shore, the vines around his ankles tightening and growing more painful with each inch he strayed from the water. The goddess didn't care, set on reaching his brothers so they all could be right next to one another. Jyushimatsu kept pushing on Oso, clenching down on his teeth to focus on his strength, watching his big brother's face closely with his three eyes to check for any change in expression.

After a minute, the motionless man sputtered water out of his mouth, wheezing for air. Jyushi knelt back and lifted his hands, trying to keep his wings hugged to his body to give Totoko and Chibita space behind him. Karamatsu flinched, the sudden movement calming him down a little. When he had seen the corpse years ago, it obviously hadn't ejected water, so the memory began to numb. Osomatsu began to stop, turning his head to the side as his throat gurgled, but it didn't seem to be enough. A couple more pumps to his chest helped bring up the remaining water, the liquid coursing from between his lips as his torso heaved with the heavy intakes of air.

Choromatsu reached Karamatsu and grabbed his leg, trying to hold on. Kara was able to take his eyes off of his big brother to reach down and grab the goddess from under the arms, using both his and Ichi's strength to pull him so he could sit upright, grabbing tightly onto Kara's shoulder. The second and fourth sons maintained a strong grip on his arms, preventing him from being ripped away and torn back down the bank.

Osomatsu grew still again, save for the slowly steadying rise and fall of his chest, his lungs mostly cleared of the water.

Everybody felt weights lift off of their backs, the mission fully completed and Oso saved. They had done what they needed to. For the first time since she had teamed up with Chibita to locate the brothers, Totoko's parents crossed her mind. As soon as the Matsunos were finished reversing their grief, she was going to hurry home and reunite with them; hopefully she could come up with a good enough lie as to where she was for the past three years. She wanted to be with them when the demons crossed and Hell on Earth fully unleashed. Totoko wanted to leave before Osomatsu woke up, though. She figured it would be best if they never saw each other again.

Chibita knew that nobody was going to be trying to buy oden during the apocalypse, so he guessed he could go back to Akatsuka Ward to close the cart for good and just laze around for the remaining days. Maybe he could find Iyami and see what he was up to. After all, the two of them used to do everything together; worrying about running the oden cart had made them grow somewhat apart. He just needed to find a good time to leave the church; he had no more business being there.

Jyushi leant forward, inspecting Oso's face. Reluctantly, he outstretched his bottom left arm, running a thumb over the gory, dated bullet hole, catching another glint of silver. The brothers just watched, hot tears down their faces, as the seraph hesitantly shoved two fingers into the wound, feeling cold metal between the tips. Jyushimatsu gently grabbed the bullet that was loosely in his big brother's head from when he had taken it out himself in front of Totoko, bringing the slug above the surface. Totty's stomach did a sickly flip when he saw the size-the bullet wasn't big at all, yet the impact it had made on the family was massive.

Jyushi set it on the ground next to them and took another hand, peeling back the eyelids, staring into the void of an eye socket. This time, the bullet was fairly easy to find, lodged in the back of the flesh and miraculously seemingly unharmful to the brain matter. He reached in and effortlessly withdrew it, tissue and gore stuck to the metal. He tossed this one away, figuring there was no sentimental connection to it; it was just a reminder of Ichi's quiet struggle and the former demon's ruthlessness.

Choromatsu hung onto his shaking older brother as they watched Jyushi withdraw the holy water off of his belt, unscrewing the cap for easier access. Gently pouring some of it into his hand, then switching hands and soaking the other, he reached out and softly pressed his fingers against the rim of the oldest wound, a wet noise from the old skin repairing itself drilling into everyone's ears and making the hair on the backs of their necks stand up. Totoko involuntarily winced at the sound as Jyushimatsu tilted more water onto Osomatsu's face, letting it flood both the cavity and the socket, dated infections from childhood bubbling away as the bullet hole began to reconnect tissues and muscle on the inside.

The trench where his eyeball used to be tightened and readjusted itself from the bullet's distortion, his eyelids reshaping to account for the vacancy. The tissues and blood in the fatal wound built all the way to the surface of the skin, Jyushi running blessed hands down the bumps where the flesh had swelled outside of the impact point to depress the meat back to its original spot. The redness and bloodiness foamed away, leaving a clean, flat space above Osomatsu's right eyebrow that was left missing part of it from the contortion of the bullet. Splashing water on the sides of the first son's head, the tender parts where he had been smashed with the bat regained their strength, the contusions that were hidden by his hair undergoing rapid discoloration and disappearing.

Finally healed, the sleeping Matsuno's face loosened, returning to the soft, sweet mein he would've had if he hadn't been gunned down all those years ago.

Todomatsu was the first one to really break, a sob stammering from between his lips as he threw himself against the priest's arm, burying his face into his neck. It was contagious, Kara blubbering as the eighteen-year-old traumatization still lingered but felt a lot less heavier now that his nii-san was alright and he could _see_ that he was alright, trying to lean on all three brothers next to him at once. Choromatsu wiped at his eyes, actually managing to feel tears roll down his face for the first time since he had became the goddess he was, lip quivering as he whined over the ache in his chest, hugging onto Ichi and Kara at the same time. Ichimatsu of course tried to deny that he had felt emotional at all, but was left unable to hold it all in and pressed his cheek against Choro's, quietly trembling as he felt the dampness of their skin stick together and their hearts pound at the same time. Jyushimatsu leant forward, clasping two of his hands and spreading his wings, pressing his forehead against Osomatsu's chest and praying his thankfulness, reassured that he was okay by feeling his lungs contract and deflate on top of the warmness of his shirt. Totoko and Chibita felt tears well in their eyes by witnessing the entire thing, but none fell.

Totty wheezed, sniffling and practically screeching from hysteria with his face in Kara's neck, " _There's six...!"_

The brothers looked at each other frantically, not sure what he meant with their minds fogged. Choromatsu made the connection, throwing a hand to his mouth.

"All six of us are here..." he breathed, that being enough to set them off even worse, clinging tightly to one another as they nearly screamed in acknowledgment of the pain they had dealt with for so long, seeing corpses of one another only for them all to be crowded around together, each and every single one of them okay one way or another. They were alright. They were safe.

Seeing this was the final nail in the coffin for Totoko and Chibita, the two fully breaking into tears and truly realizing how heavy the situation was. Yet Osomatsu was left oblivious to it all for the time being, passed out in exhaustion and injury.

They all knelt around for a while, hanging onto each other and letting everything out, the brothers' hearts beating as one as they all felt like ten-year-olds again. Seconds seemed like hours as they wept their throats raw, the sky churning red above them as a reminder of the human race's impending demise. Ichimatsu, sandwiched between Karamatsu and Choromatsu, was left wondering how in the hell nobody at the church could hear them, but then again, they were all mindlessly bending over and praying and enjoying the last days of their lives to really care about anyone but themselves. He felt terrible for blowing Osomatsu's eye out despite his exposure of all the horrible things Ichi did and felt about himself, but when the demon was underwater with Choro, Jyushi proudly exclaimed that if it weren't for the fourth son's interference, they probably would've all been dead by the time the seraph reached them. Karamatsu seemed understandably irked and disgusted that the gun had been used regardless of the promise made, but seeing the goddess surface with their precious, fragile brother over his shoulder swiftly rid of the feeling of betrayal. (He wouldn't have been able to stay mad anyway; if it saved his precious little brothers, then a bullet to someone who had already known what that felt like wouldn't be much of anything.)

Once everyone had somewhat regathered, Choro shifted his foot so the vines weren't as uncomfortable around his ankles, rubbing his eye.

"Totoko, thank you so much." His voice was nasal from his congested nose that was currently running down his face. The Queen had began recovering a while ago, making a face as her swollen eyes pinched under her eyebrows.

"Huh?"

"If you never crossed over with him, we would've never gotten him back." Choro folded his hands in his lap and tiredly rested his head against Ichi's arm. Jyushimatsu wordlessly reached out and ran a hand through the sleeping Osomatsu's hair, silently acknowledging how amazing it was to be able to see and touch his previously dead brother who had left such a large hollowness in his chest when they had to say goodbye all those years ago. He hadn't even _gotten_ to say goodbye. The last thing his nii-san ever said to him-he remembered; how could he forget-was a laugh accompanied with a slap on the back and a "tomorrow, I'll pitch for you so you can swing as much as you want, okay?" He could still hear his boyish voice. Gentle tears rolled off of Jyushimatsu's cheeks and landed onto Osomatsu's blazer, still soaking wet from the water.

Totoko sheepishly thumbed at her fangs. "Oh... haha. It's no problem, I guess. I'm glad that Akatsuka Ward's infamous sextuplets are all together again. Sucks that the world's gonna end, because could you imagine the news coverage that would get?" Not that it would be a good idea to reveal the three undead brothers' existences anyway. It would be kind of hard to justify explaining that one was an angel and the other two were God and Satan.

"How..." Karamatsu swallowed, fighting off the urge to cry again and his lungs raw, "How did he even start this whole ordeal, anyway...?"

Totoko adjusted her legs so she could sit comfortably, Chibita moving over a little to allow her room. She blew out a sigh as she shook her head, widening her eyes as she remembered.

"Huh. It was some scary ritualistic shit. Whenever we'd hold ceremonies, the two of us would walk under torii all the way up to this platform with a huge ass pillar in the middle with this blue flame on the top. He picked at his bullet wound until it bled and let his hands drip into the fire, and it changed color and all of the lights in Hell turned crimson. That induced it and symbolized the start." She scratched at her eyebrow. "I think that was what made all of the rivers turn to blood which was the inciting moment of Armageddon."

Chibita nearly fell over. " _The hell?!_ You mean the river was red because that was his _blood?!"_

Totoko put her tongue in her cheek and nodded. "Yep."

"So you mean if somebody decided to-for some twisted fucking reason- _swim_ in the damn thing, they'd be flailing around in Osomatsu's blood?!"

"You know, when you put it that way, it sounds a lot worse than I had imagined it-"

" _-Holy shit!"_

The brothers wearily watched Chibita freak the hell out as Totoko let it soak in how fucked up the whole thing really was, smiles flickering on their faces for the first time in uncountable hours. Choromatsu, however, was busy processing the information they had been given and squinted in thought, his heart a jackhammer against his ribs before he had even realized what it had meant.

" _W-Wait!_ T-Totoko-chan!"

Chibita quieted himself and gazed over in the goddess's direction, the Queen next to him toying with the ring on her finger confusedly.

"Uh...?"

Choro sat up hurriedly as adrenaline pumped through his veins, the movement enough to disturb the vines around his ankles that yanked him painfully; swift gestures by Ichi and Kara kept him next to them, tight grips around his arms enough to leave bruises.

"You s-said that the reason the apocalypse even started was because that flame changed colors, c-correct-?!"

Totoko sat up straight in anticipation. He seemed to be going somewhere. The conscious brothers glanced at the goddess, expressions exactly the same as they eagerly awaited him. Chibita leant forward.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"In theory, i-if...!" He had to take a second to breathe and allow the lump shoving against his Adam's Apple to dissolve. " _If you put out that flame, it c-could end this, I would imagine...!"_

The brothers gasped, looking at one another in shock, grabbing the crosses on their outfits and feeling tears threaten to spill again. If the world didn't end, they could have their big brother back for as long as they lived. They could be sextuplets again.

Totoko felt her heart stop. She wasn't even sure if that would work and now she had five people depending heavily on her. She bit the inside of her cheek nervously.

"I mean, maybe...? But that flame is _huge;_ I don't think putting it out is as easy as you think it would be." She scratched her eyebrow. "Plus, I'm sure it's not normal fire if it can start Armageddon by consuming blood. It's probably some Satanic-magic-flame or something like that."

The seraph whipped his head around to look at the Queen of Hell, eyes bright and smile wide. His six wings fluttered excitedly as he thrust his shampoo bottle into the air, stifling a laugh.

"Holy water!" Jyushimatsu exclaimed, rolling back onto his feet, "The fountain is full of it!"

Todomatsu brought a hand up to his mouth. "That's right...!" He hopefully peered down at the goddess, who wore his open angular smile. "Choromatsu nii-san, do you think...?"

"Probably! My guess would be yes!" Choro folded his hands at his chest and stared right into Totoko's eyes, piercing her soul with guilt. "Totoko, I realize that we've probably asked a lot of you already-"

"-Choromatsu, I-" The Queen played with a pigtail anxiously, feeling like a bitch for having to shoot him down, "No offense, but I really don't think it would work. That's such a far reach it's wonder how your arms don't hurt." Holy shit, she hadn't meant to say _that._ The wave of despondency hit all five Matsuno boys at once, faces falling into sorrowful expressions as their muppet-like mouths hung quietly open. She even felt Chibita next to her stiffen at the blatant accidental rudeness. She had gotten so adjusted to talking shit all those years she clawed her way up the idol ladder (which more or less knocked her down a rung whenever she tried) that it was more of an automatic response.

She didn't really have a choice now, did she?

"...But." She sighed heavily, glancing down at Osomatsu. "I guess we can give it a try."

...

Totoko's stomach kept flipping on top of itself as she watched the seraph and the nun diligently scoop water from one of the fountain's tiers into old wonton soup takeout containers, lidding them and setting them off to the side. Todomatsu's (ex? Who the fuck knew) boyfriend's phone was gripped tightly in her hand, Choromatsu blabbering on speakerphone.

"Are they sure they don't have anything bigger?"

"No," Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu chorused, Totoko's shoulders falling. They weren't going to be able to effectively pour the water on the flame; they were gonna have to pour each container out individually like pussies. That wasn't epic at all. But at least Chibita was coming with her so she didn't have to bear Hell alone.

"Well, I guess it'll have to work. Totoko-chan, do you know how to get to the flame from the mirror's entrance?"

"Yeah." Pfft, no, not really. The castle was a maze. Once she made it to a part she recognized, _then_ she could make it to the courtyard, but it wasn't exactly like they'd be able to just mosey around looking for it. She was a wanted criminal for betraying her kingdom.

"Okay, good. Make a beeline _straight_ for that flame, put it out, then hightail it back to the mirror." She could hear Choromatsu clear his throat in uncertainty. "I'm not sure what other effects distinguishing that fire could have."

Ichimatsu began to pack the containers into two separate bags, Jyushi filling the last of them. Chibita rubbed his head nervously.

"Ah, dammit, I hadn't expected to be such a big part of this whole thing. I thought I was just taking you to the church."

Totoko cringed in apology, shrugging her shoulders. "To be fair, I hadn't expected you to be either. But I really appreciate it, Chibita. I promise once this is all over I'll stop in for oden every single day for a year!"

The cook laughed, bringing a hand to his chin in pretend thought. "Huh, every day for a _year?_ That's good business. A promise is a promise, dammit, so don't back out!"

"Alright, here." Ichi thrust the bags into their arms, Totoko nearly dropping it from having the phone in one of her hands. Pulling the straps onto their shoulders, they secured the bags onto their backs, the weight of the water making their spines ache already. Chibita let out a groan of dreadful unreadiness.

"Please be careful," Choromatsu worried on the other line. Jyushimatsu led them out of the Yellow Yard and started towards the mirror.

"We'll try." Totoko replied honestly. She knew of the youkais' strength and how protective they were of their little human boy. They had witnessed her nearly beat him with her parasol and single-handedly made them hate her. They were gonna be pissed if they saw her and would probably be more than happy to rip her in half.

They stepped in front of the mirror and Jyushimatsu kindly reached out and politely silently asked for Atsushi's phone. Totoko handed it over, the seraph blinking all three eyes in anxiety.

"Alright, nii-san, they're getting ready to go back into Hell," Jyushi muttered, Ichimatsu stoic next to him. "Do you have any other ideas to add?"

Choro was quiet for a second. "Ah, no, I don't think so," the goddess hummed, "Just be extra careful and get that fire out and back through the other side as quick as you possibly can." Clearing his throat, he declared loudly, "Stay safe. The whole world's on your shoulders!"

"Well, when you put it that way, it makes me want to turn right back around." Chibita mumbled to himself, Totoko bracing herself.

"Are you ready, Chibita?"

"Not at all."

"It's gonna seem like you're gonna smack right into the glass, but I promise, you'll go right through it. Just don't hesitate." Totoko balled her fists in anticipation until they were white, turning to Chibita. "On the count of three?"

"We'll pray for you." Ichimatsu interjected, folding his hands in preparation. Jyushi nodded in agreement.

"May God protect you even in the darkest depths of despair and agony." The seraph blessed, flapping his wings gently. The two childhood friends made eye contact, peering at each other with the same level of unpreparedness and getting the same adrenaline high.

"On the count of three." Chibita echoed. Totoko nodded once.

"Okay. One."

"Two."

" _Three!"_

At the same time, the Queen of Hell and the oden cook shot forward, eyes squeezed shut as they sent themselves right through the glass.

Staggering into the empty room, harsh heat gnawed at their skin as they regathered their footing, registering their arrival to the very unwelcoming Other Side.


	25. A Sudden Change of Plans

Chibita was left speechless as he took in the empty room and its depth. Totoko sighed loudly, taking a couple steps forward.

"Are you ready?" she asked him, turning around. The cook remembered what she had explained to all of them about the mirror and twisted to inspect it, realizing how foggy it really was.

"Wait, so if we stepped out of it right now, we'd be on Mount Fuji?"

"Yep." Totoko pointed to a blurry, buff brown object that was towards the right side of the glass. "See, there's one of the rocks we were hiding behind."

"Even though we _entered_ through the church?"

"Mhm."

"No shit," Chibita breathed, shifting the bag on his back so its weight was more bearable. He and Totoko turned back at the same time, preparing themselves.

"Alright, now I may or may not have lied to Choromatsu."

" _Huh?! The hell?!"_ Chibita seethed, immediately overwhelmed with a feeling of dread, "About what?"

"Calm down, it was only a little white lie so he wouldn't worry." Totoko shrugged. "I don't actually know how to get to the flame from here."

The oden cook threw a hand to his head, shaking it disgustedly.

"Totoko, we're gonna fuck this up so bad!" He threw his arms across his chest. "Knowing where we're going is _kind_ of important if we need to do this quickly!"

The Queen began to walk deeper into the hollow room, the cook following after her. "Re _lax_ , you walking heart attack. I have an idea of where it's at. It's just that this castle is a maze and we'll just need to find some part of it that I know before it can really click and we can beeline."

Their heels echoed against the walls and Chibita worried that they were going to be heard and sabotaged before they could even start.

"I'm following you, Totoko. I'll try my best not to argue-"

"-Yeah, right.-"

" _-about where we're going,"_ he glared at her, "But I think the real challenge here is whether or not we can make it through undetected."

They reached the end of the room, the winding staircase that Osomatsu had dragged her up in his rage looming in front of them. Totoko put her hands on her hips, really feeling her heart against her bones.

"I don't know," she swallowed, "But we need to hurry either way. Just follow me."

Chibita nodded and the two began, bounding step by step down the neverending set, Totoko's wings uncomfortably pulling backwards in the wind. She couldn't wait to get rid of them-if they happened to escape the mirror, anyway.

After winding down, they reached the landing and pressed themselves against the wall, the Queen peering around the corner. Much to her surprise, nobody seemed to be there, and she gestured for Chibita to move forward with her. The two continued on into the beginning of the hallway, the mass of doors on each side of them intimidatingly towering. Totoko ran a hand through her hair. If she was remembering correctly, then there were three more flights of stairs they needed to descend before they were near the boudoir; at that point, she could take it from there.

Their steps nearly weightless on the expensive rugs, the Queen and the cook felt small compared to the depth of the corridor, the woman's wings seeming more like that of a hummingbird's. Totoko beckoned for him to follow her down the second set of stairs, then the third. Chibita was out of breath, leaning over with his hands on his knees. Totoko tapped her foot impatiently, glancing around to see if they were spotted.

"Chibita, hurry up!" she whispered loudly, the cook groaning in protest, standing straight up and sliding his hands to his hips.

"Oh, shut up!" He huffed, the Queen rolling her eyes. "We're fine. It's not like we're on a time limit-"

"-We _are!"_

"Yeah, we have a week! Are we gonna be in here for a week? No!" Chibita shifted the straps of the bag on his shoulders. "We're fine, Totoko. As long as we don't get caught, we can stop as often as we need to."

Totoko wanted to protest, but she knew he was right. Maybe they _didn't_ have to rush through. If anything, it would just worry the brothers a little longer, but it would be easier in the end.

Chibita decided he could breathe better now and the two walked on, the cook taking in the scenery. The handiwork on the beams that pressed against the walls for support was intricate and detailed; the doorways were the same way, the creamy white color of the paint likely the purest thing in the entire realm. Pedestals lined the halls, strangely left without anything on their tops, stone monoliths purposeless other than for the decoration. The rugs were blood red with labyrinthine patterns sewn into them so complicated that you would have to get on your hands and knees to truly see every little detail. Heavy portraits in bubbled frames hung on the walls and presented the King and Queen, whether it be by themselves or together.

The cook stopped, mouth hung open as he inspected the pictures. Totoko made it a little further before realizing he wasn't following her anymore, turning around and crossing her arms at him.

The first picture was of the both of them, Osomatsu in the throne and Totoko peculiarly sitting in his lap, arm around his shoulders. Where was hers? He had a small grin on his face, their wings practically crushed together, but the Queen seemed like she was distressed, a frown and light fingertips on his shoulder not really all that convincing. The next portrait was just Totoko, the same kimono she was wearing when she found Chibita by the river the one she had on, parasol over her shoulder and face painted. Once again, her face was stoic; not as bad as it was in the first picture, but she definitely didn't look happy.

Chibita took a couple steps forward to further himself down the corridor, looking at all the pictures. He heard Totoko huff impatiently, but he didn't care.

Totoko was in a different kimono in the next one, Oso wearing one too, the two of them admittedly impressive with the sense of sovereignty they gave off. The Queen seemed much less upset and almost seemed like she was suppressing a smile for the professional sake of the portrait. They looked younger.

In the last one, Chibita had to take a minute to really take in the detail.

A small, crying boy with fat tears rolling down his cheeks had his lip puffed in a pout, eyes glassy and eyebrows pinched. His hands looked like they had to be practically glued to his lap to get them to stay there, picking at the skin of his thumb in an attempt to comfort himself. He lacked the demon decoration. The suit he wore was the same one Chibita had grown up used to, bloodstains hardly lifted out of the shoulders and the chest, and the face he had was nostalgic and hurt to look at, especially when the bullet hole on his face was fresh and was still newly swollen with the gore.

Chibita was silent, not seeing that exact face for a crazy number of years. Totoko walked over, flicking her tail around behind her.

"That was a week after he got here." The two peered up at the crying boy, immortalized under the glass. "Obviously they had some work to do to get him to adjust to it."

"No shit..." Chibita murmured in awe, actually registering the tiny sextuplet's face as genuinely innocent for what was probably the first time in his life. God, he loathed that kid when they were both little, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't look up to him and wasn't left scarred by his departure. The hatred was just a mask for how cool he really thought he was. (He just wished he hadn't picked on him as much as he did.)

"He told me that they used to have to pretty much rock him to sleep for a really long time after because he cried for everyone and couldn't fall asleep on his own." Totoko pulled her bangs out of her eyes, her craned neck starting to hurt and her eyes strained. "He said that he missed his family so badly he wouldn't eat or drink and was pretty much babied by the youkai to try and make him feel better."

"That's insane. You'd have thought he wouldn't have been so damn murderous on the mountain, then."

"Well, see, they conditioned him out of it. Somehow, they convinced him that he died for a reason-whatever that reason may have been-and that he wasn't a sextuplet anymore. They hammered it into his head that he was an only child and the others were quintuplets and after a while he started to believe it."

"You mean he didn't miss anyone by the time he became an adult?"

"Nope. He never mentioned anyone when I got here and would always change the subject if I tried bringing his brothers up. The only time I heard him say he missed someone was the day before the wedding when he said it to me. But it was fleeting."

Chibita shook his head. That was some shit.

"We need to keep going. Come on." Totoko jerked her head toward the stairs and started towards them, the cook glancing up at the picture one last time before catching up.

As they drew nearer to the bottom, they began to hear voices, and Totoko panicked and threw her arm in front of Chibita as if he were a child to stop him. The two of them held their breath as they listened, registering that whoever was speaking was staying in the same place. Carefully as they could, they took step by step to the bottom, peering around the corner. Osomatsu's caretakers stood at the very end of the corridor.

"Preparations are set. We just need the Lord to return and instruct us on what to do next."

The youkai Totoko recognized as Akki nodded somberly, hands folded in front of her. A taller demon next to her crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. She seemed aggressive.

"Oh, come on. Are you seriously worried?"

"He hasn't come back yet." _Akki's an old woman; she deserves to be treated a little better than that._ Totoko squinted at herself. _Wait, why the hell am I defending her? She's not on my side!_ "He's so fragile... I just hope he's alright."

"He's _fine_ ," Bitchy youkai spat, "You're acting like you don't believe in His abilities."

"I do, of course I do, it's just..." Akki sighed, the old lady practically broken apart in anxiety. "He's so childish. Not in the sense that he can't take things seriously, but in the sense that he doesn't always use his best judgement." She looked over to the bitchy one. "I just feel like he should've returned by now."

"You have to remember that he's taking out the Queen. She started running so he had to chase after her." She scoffed. "I never liked her anyway. I have no idea what he insisted on having _her_ for. There were so many other human women he could've taken."

Chibita dug his nails into Totoko's arm, pulling her backwards.

" _Totoko!"_ He whispered frantically as the Queen clenched her teeth and resisted the urge to round that corner and give the fucker a piece of her mind. Chibita hadn't realized how strained Totoko had been towards everyone the entire time she had been in Hell. She really hadn't wanted to be there.

"He was in love with her since he had met her on the other side," Akki clarified, "No regular Queen would work for him. Trust me, I tried talking him into finding a desperate girl who would undeniably cross for him to make it a little bit easier, but he wanted this one. I'll admit, she was a pretty little thing, but she just wasn't very nice to him. She always denied his affections."

"She's better off dead. I'm glad he's come to his senses." Bitch looked at her claws, which was also what Totoko wanted to do to that smug face of hers.

"Sure, but that's one half of our monarchy gone. If something happens to the King, we'll be left without a sovereign at all." Akki tapped her claws against her cheek. "They never bore a child. I legitimately don't know what we would do if they both are dead." She second-guessed herself. "Ah, maybe he shouldn't kill her after all..."

"Uh-it's too late for that now!" Bitch's tail whipped around behind her in her hysterics. "He's already crossed! She's dead. We'll just have to spare a human girl once we're all over there, and this time around we can pick who she is. That way this doesn't happen again."

"Totoko, we should probably find a way to get around them," Chibita suggested anxiously, practically able to feel the heat radiating off of her body in bubbling rage, still watching from around the corner. She didn't answer him.

"Besides," a smaller, squeakier youkai butted in, "The Queen is a traitor. Her treachery deserves her death."

Akki was silent for a minute before stiffly nodding. "I suppose you're right."

"When the King returns, if he happens to be distraught, we'll inform him of the idea. And maybe get it through his head that the old Queen wasn't worth anything."

Bitch decided she was back in the conversation.

"The very least she could've done was act like loved him, but I suppose that was too hard for her."

" _That's not fucking true!"_ Totoko screeched, exposing herself to them in the open and thrashing her tail about behind her, baring her teeth and spreading her wings. The youkai seemed shocked, Akki letting out a gasp with her hand to her mouth, but the others immediately grew angry and adjusted their extremities threateningly. Wings twitched and bones cracked and throats rumbled into growls. Chibita flung himself into view, tugging onto Totoko's arm desperately but unable to budge her.

" _Totoko! God-fuckin'-dammit, Totoko! I can't believe you did that!"_ The oden cook yanked her backwards a little, but it did hardly anything. " _Don't lose sight of why we're here, dammit!"_

The youkai inched forward, Akki remaining where she was. They were blocking the stairway anyway. Totoko stood her ground.

" _How are you here?"_ The bitchy one hissed, her red, leathery skin glinting with sweat over the scales. Totoko splayed her fingers, feeling them crack deep into the bones.

"Stay the fuck back," she warned, Chibita looking up at her like she was insane. He snapped his head around toward the staircase, debating breaking for it. He heard voices upstairs and the noise of footsteps, reacting to the chaos Totoko was causing. He shrunk down behind the demoness, bracing himself for death. This was it. They had made it so far and this was how they were gonna die.

"Where's the King...? Where's Osomatsu?" Akki called fearfully from the end of the corridor, taking Totoko's reappearance as an omen. The Queen ignored her, keeping her eyes on the demons that moved even closer. She felt pulsing in her arms.

"I said stay _back,"_ Totoko repeated, Chibita using her as a shield. The youkai continued to shift even further, growing dangerously near. Anger boiled her blood to foam and her palms grew swelteringly hot, an animalistic prickling creeping up her spine to the back of her neck.

Totoko had to move backwards in order to maintain the space between them, Chibita tripping over himself and nearly stumbling face-first into the rug. He quickly got back onto his feet, brushing his knees off and making sure he remained behind the rogue Queen.

" _Totoko, you're_ insane! _Absolutely_ batshit-insane!" Chibita cackled nervously. " _Why'd you hafta go and say anythin', huh?! Why couldn't have you just waited for them to be gone?! God dammit!"_

Realizing they had hardly no more room left, the girl turned her head to inspect what was behind them before boring her eyes through the bitchy one's head, a sharp intake of breath catching them off guard.

"I _said-"_ The Queen's hands erupted into thick red flames, and she flung them outwards with no qualms, sending a wave of fire hurtling away from them, " _-stay the fuck back!"_

The youkai staggered backwards with shrieks of terror, ducking to avoid the energy that sizzled into the air as quickly as it appeared, Chibita left frozen in fear.

" _Totoko-! How did you-?!"_ Totoko seemed just as shocked as everyone else was, gaping at her hands like she had suddenly grown extra fingers on each.

" _Lady Matsuno, how do you know of that power...?"_ Akki had her hands thrown to her mouth at the opposite end of the corridor, practically pressed against the window in fear. The old youkai's tail flicked anxiously.

" _I... I don't know?!"_ Totoko practically screamed, but the toothy grin on her face hinted that she wasn't upset about it at all.

All those times she had to sit around waiting for Osomatsu to be finished 'gathering the knowledge' to obtain said power must've helped her pick up on it, too. Suddenly all those years of lounging next to him with an unwanted glass of wine and overwhelming boredom didn't seem too bad.

But there was still an issue at hand.

Remembering Chibita, she reached down and picked him up as easily as she could've picked up a child, the shorter of the two letting out a yelp of surprise.

" _The hell?!"_

Totoko hurriedly glanced back behind them at the large windowpane, taking a step back as she turned back around to be met by demons practically melting with fury, morphing their appearances even more to accustom for the impending slaughter of the traitor. She twitched her wings, looking over to Chibita, who was horrified by literally everything that had happened in the past two minutes.

"Chibita, hold on, 'kay?"

" _Hold on...?!"_ The cook screeched in panic, yet he was more than happy to press himself up against the girl as the youkai hissed and growled and approached even quicker, the man ripping at the fabric of Karamatsu's tank top that she still wore. " _What do you_ mean, _hold on?!"_

Totoko decided to leave Chibita's question for him to answer himself. Biting hard onto her teeth, the Queen whirled around on her heel and bounded for the window in what little space they had left, bracing herself for endurance. Sweeping her feet out from under her, she clasped her arms around the younger of the two as she sent her body into the pane, thousands of shards of glass exploding as they busted outside, tears stinging Totoko's eyes from the pain of what was stuck into her skin and her wings. They began to freefall, Chibita hysterical.

" _Totoko, what the fuck!"_

"Yeah, yeah, sorry about that, but listen! Now we're _really_ fucked! We have to hurry up!"

" _How are you so lax?! Why?!"_ The wind whipped so hard against his skin that it pierced like needles, leaving him wondering when the hell they were gonna stop. " _You're acting like one of the sextuplets now!"_

Totoko twisted around so they were barreling face-first, the ground drawing nearer and nearer. Chibita practically dug his entire fingers into her skin in terror, screaming at the top of his lungs as they closed in on the dirt and grew threateningly close. Stretching her wings out last second, the demoness caught the air and swung back up, inspecting the surrounding area. The cook, nearly dead from a heart attack, caught his breath as he loosened his grip on Totoko, but still held on nonetheless.

"You fuckin'-!" He tried to slur, but he wasn't able to get much of anything out. The Queen took note that they were on the complete opposite side of the palace, but if they wound around the front and went further enough, they would reach the torii and the flame.

"Hang on, Chibita, we're almost there!" Totoko yelled, shooting forward and feeling the wind foil around them, the bag full of holy water nearly slipping off of her arm. The cook reached out to grab it right before it fell, making sure he didn't slip out of the Queen's grip either. Twisting around the side of the castle, the torii were in sight and glowed bright from the light of the crimson flame. Unfortunately, they were also able to see the hundreds of yokai gathered in anticipation, knowing exactly where she planned on going. Totoko stopped, keeping them suspended as she flapped her wings and observed the bloodthirsty crowds of the subjects she had betrayed. Oni armed with kanabo and swords, youkai with their necks stretched like rubber and hundreds of eyeballs blinking through their skin, awaiting their Queen to land so they could rip her apart limb by limb. Chibita's heart stopped, but Totoko didn't falter.

"It's me they want," she accepted, looking over to her friend whose skin was so white with fear that he was probably the brightest thing there. The cook flicked his eyes over wordlessly, tightly holding onto both Totoko's bag and his. The Queen's palms grew hot and Chibita squirmed, the heat burning through his shirt.

"When we land, fuckin' break for it." Totoko sounded urgent. Chibita didn't answer. This was do or die now.

Slinging both bags onto his shoulder, he held on as the demoness shot down, dust exploding into a cloud where her feet drove into the dirt. Her hands immediately lit red, arching her back in defense as the youkai charged at them, drawing their weapons or preparing the magic of their own. Chibita, struck with fear, had felt his legs start moving under him before he had even considered running. He held on tight to the straps of the bags as he could feel the heat from Totoko's magic on his back, feeling the eyes of who knows how many youkai shift their attention to him. Chibita quickened his pace, his breath hitching as he bolted between the torii, twisting his head to see behind him.

His soul nearly slipped between his lips when he saw the demons leaving the blazing Totoko behind to catch up with _him_ instead, leaving the Queen in the dust and just as shocked as he was.

Chibita screeched her name in terror, sprinting even faster, the youkai closing in on him with their weapons raised, magic pooling into their fists. He whirled around, only to find that he was trapped in, his breath caught in his throat. The cook skidded to a stop, hugging the bags close to his chest as he spun, desperately searching for a way out. The torii hung dreadfully over his head as the youkai hissed and and growled and cracked their bones as they modified their appearances, preparing to rip him to shreds. Chibita felt way smaller than he already did, hunkering down in the center of the circle, awaiting for the nightmare to begin.

" _Back the fuck off!"_ Totoko screamed, darting down into the center of the circle next to the trembling man, wings splayed, and whipped her energy outwards, twisting her arms to expand the range. Fire washed over them like water as the youkai howled in pain, their skin bubbling and eyes boiling. She couldn't reach the whole way through the mob and those who were still in the back trampled the injured, storming forward. Totoko pulled Chibita behind her back, who gladly complied. If they were humans, he would have no problem kicking all of their asses, but he didn't fuck with demons.

Totoko had only seen the flames lit on Osomatsu's hands once and that had been when he broke the mirror. She had no idea what he was capable of doing with the power, but she felt strange burning on the backs of her arms and her shoulderblades, almost as if it wasn't at its full potential. Recalling what he had done on the mountain to make them drop like flies, Totoko cast a quick glance at her hands before sharply pushing them outwards at the youkai charging toward her, spiking flame at their chests and sending them backwards. Chibita ripped at the section of the tank top between her wings.

" _Totoko-chaaaan-!"_ He cried, the Queen whirling around in dread and her pigtails hitting her face so hard it stung. Her heart blocked her throat when she saw a particularly towering oni with his kanabo raised high over his head, preparing to strike down on the Queen and her accomplice. Tearing at the neck of Chibita's shirt, Totoko rocketed into the air, darting out of the way just before the club bashed into the dirt so hard it got stuck. The cook choked, unable to breathe, and the Queen set him down, immediately going for the oni. Bringing her feet down onto his shoulders, Totoko drove her elbow as hard as she could into the back of his neck, sending him crumbling to the ground. Flapping her wings so she didn't tumble too, she stomped down onto his nape for good measure.

Chibita trembled, glancing around at the sea of bodies around them. Some youkai were still coming at them, but they were far enough away. Totoko whipped around, careful not to trip over a demon, and watched Chibita as she began to sprint through the crowd.

" _Chibita! Come on! We're almost there; it's almost over!"_

A tiny wheeze of hysteria escaped his lips, turning back to watch the nearing youkai, and regained a bit of courage to keep going. He rushed after her, gasping for air in terror and a lack of shape, slinging the bags onto his elbow instead. The two of them weaved around the demons, the weak spirits reaching after their legs seconds too late, the Queen waiting for the cook to catch up with her. Stumbling out of the last of the bodies, they continued on, the torii gates seemingly endless.

But they could see it. Up on the platform blazed a thick crimson flame, the pillars that branched off of it the same exact color, crackling starting to enter their earshot. Tears of hope welled in Totoko's eyes, who looked over at Chibita; he had to run twice as fast to allow his cutely small legs to keep up with her.

" _Chibita!"_ she called, the cook glancing up with a look that made his emotional turmoil evident, mouth hanging open with a dead glint in his eyes. " _Unzip the bags! Just dump the containers onto the fire; they'll melt and bust open!"_

Chibita nodded the best he could and tipped his arm, allowing them to slide up to his wrists. He huffed in exhaustion as he tried to hurry and open the bags at the same time, getting the first one open. It looked as if some of them already spilt. Screams of bloody murder rang out behind them and the two wheeled their heads back in horror, the remaining youkai already having made it past the sea of bodies and quickening their pace under the gates, their weapons raised. Totoko and Chibita's legs went even faster, the latter stumbling to get the second bag open. The Queen, impatient and anxious, reached over and tore at the zipper, ripping it off. She jammed her fingers in between the teeth and pried the bag open.

The flame was right there.

The childhood friends took the steps two at a time, rushing up to the fire. The youkai were almost there too, the hourglass nearly empty of its sand. Totoko grabbed one of the bags off of Chibita and they both tipped them over at the same time, shaking them roughly and dumping the tons of wonton containers onto the flame, the water spilling everywhere.

The Queen yanked at Chibita and wrenched him backwards, the two eyeing the flame with their breath held. It flickered and roared, the thin plastic of the canisters melting quickly and smothering the fire, a loud, sizzling noise audible. The youkai halted where they were and backed away in fear as the dying flame smoked and dwindled quietly, the holy water having been plenty. Finally, with one last sputter, the crimson flame of Armageddon extinguished, the hundreds of pillars that branched off of it putting themselves out in a wave.

Just like that, Hell still burned their skin, but was engulfed in an uncomfortable darkness.

Totoko instinctively quickly grabbed ahold of Chibita and picked him up in preparation, flicking her eyes over towards the castle. She endlessly thanked Choromatsu-out of pure luck, the palace lights were still on inside, giving the Queen a good idea of where they would need to go. Holding a hand out in front of her, she produced a small flame, offering just enough light to be able to see the demon's face one foot in front of them.

The Queen let out a scream, stumbling backwards as Chibita thrust his fist outward into the oni's mug, high off of adrenaline. She felt a body behind her and screeched again, noting that they needed to get out of there _fast._ She bent her knees and took off, but felt a calloused hand of a bloodthirsty youkai crush her ankle, ripping her downwards. Chibita clung to her so tightly that it was undeniably going to bruise her skin, terrified of falling into the pit of demons. The Queen screamed and flapped her wings frantically, kicking her leg as hard as she could. Managing to hit him right in the nose, he let go as Totoko spiraled into the sky, the wind cooling the sweat sticking to their complexions. Chibita laughed harshly, yet in relief, not actually believing that they would be able to pull it off. Totoko laughed with him, flying forward towards the side of the castle that they had busted through.

"Totoko, we did it...!" Chibita's cackle had always been boyish and hearty, even after he grew up. Bubbles of hot tears streamed down his face and collected on his jaw. Everything was going to be alright.

"Oh, God, I'm so glad," Totoko breathed, noting that this was going to be one of the last times she'd hear the wind ripple against her leathery wings. As soon as they got back, she was gonna shove her face into Choromatsu's fucking lake and get rid of the things. She couldn't wait to be a human again.

Careful not to scrape either of them against the stray pieces of the glass, Totoko weaved through the window and set Chibita down in the corridor, the two rushing forward. Akki was slid against the far wall, hand over her heart and head in her knees. The Queen hesitated for a moment, watching her in worry. She had no idea that Osomatsu was alright, did she...? The cook pulled at Totoko's arm, gathering her attention.

"Totoko, we can't stop, you idjit! We're so close, dammit!" He tugged at her again, clenching his teeth. "Totoko!"

"Calm down, I'm coming!" The Queen snapped in annoyance, catching one last sympathetic glance of the grieving old woman before following along after the cook. The two barreled up the stairs, winding through each hallway just as quickly. They reached the final set-the set that would carry them to the looming empty room, home to the mirror.

They began, huffing as they listened closely for any signs of being followed. Nothing yet.

"Wait, Totoko!" Chibita called, the Queen stopping. He shook his head at her at tilted his head toward the top of the stairs.

"No, that's not what I mean!" Totoko hurried to catch up and the two kept going. Chibita was thankful he didn't have the bags bouncing all over the place anymore. "The flame's out and everything, but won't the demons still be able to cross through the mirror? It's _broken!"_

Totoko's heart fell. He was absolutely right. They reached the room and Totoko found herself staring at the mirror, feeling humiliated. They didn't think of that.

"Fuck," she murmured, running her hand across her forehead. The apocalypse wasn't really over.

She flinched suddenly in remembrance. Unless...

"I can break it," she breathed, starting quickly towards it, Chibita rushing too. " _I can break it! Come on!"_

The unlikely pair of Queen of Hell and the oden vendor bolted toward the mirror that separated this realm from the living, the blurry glass getting closer and closer. Totoko saw Chibita hesitate out of the corner of her eye but regain himself, remembering how easy he had passed through in the church. A couple more steps and they would be there.

Picking up the pace, they both glanced at each other and nodded before Totoko leapt through the mirror, the noise of something hard smacking the glass echoing on the mountain.

The Queen turned to her side to look at him, but was confused when he wasn't standing there. She looked back into the mirror where Chibita laid dizzily on the floor, rubbing his head and his mouth open in a groan inaudible through the glass. Totoko's heart skipped a beat and her eyes grew hot with fear as she crossed back over, outstretching her arm at her friend.

Chibita took her hand and pulled himself up, a bump already starting to form on his forehead. "What the hell?!" He grumbled, blinking at the mirror. Totoko didn't realize it yet, but on the inside, she was definitely panicking.

"That's weird. Let's try again," Totoko suggested, grabbing his hand. She went through first, hand still in his, and he walked forward, fingertips pressing against the glass. Biting down hard, Totoko yanked on his arm, Chibita visibly letting out a yell of pain and ripping his hand away. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Totoko went back over, the cook gripping his fingers tightly.

"Dammit, you almost stoved my fingers!" He whined, punching her lightly in the arm. Totoko didn't respond, running an anxious hand through her fringe.

"W-Why can't you cross...?" Her voice shook. Chibita looked at the mirror and reached out to touch it, but his hand didn't go through; instead, the gentle sound of flesh quietly knocking echoing instead. Totoko shook her head frantically, grabbing Chibita under the arms and dragging him towards it.

" _This isn't funny...!"_ Totoko laughed nervously, sticking her back through the mirror and keeping her front on the other side. She pulled Chibita at the mirror, but once again, his spine hit it and refused to budge, the cook left uncomfortably squished against the glass. The Queen's grip grew tighter and the wrenching rougher, desperately trying to get her friend through. She could hear the sound of angry youkai down in the corridor.

" _Why can't you cross?!"_ Totoko cried, tears rolling down her face. Her mouth was sticky and her nose burning. Chibita struggled in her grasp, but couldn't escape. " _No, no, no... You have to come with us! Why isn't this working?! You crossed over just fine b-before..."_

Prying open her fingers, Chibita wormed out of her grip and stumbled forward, the Queen stepping back over. Her hands were in front of her mouth and she cried quietly. The younger of the two seemed eerily calm.

"Is it because I'm not a demon?" He pondered, reaching out to touch one of the bawling woman's wings. She let her hands drop and bit her lip, trying to collect herself.

"I-" a sharp intake of breath cut off her words, "I don't k-know..."

Chibita watched her pitifully, trying to register himself what that meant, but the yelling behind them got louder. The cook grew urgent and threw a hand on the small of the Queen's back, pushing her towards the mirror.

"Totoko-chan, I can't cross with ya. You have to go alone." His voice cracked with emotion, but he didn't cry. Totoko stamped her foot.

" _N-No! Chibita, I'm not leaving-"_

"-You _are."_ The cook looked her straight in the eye, red lines on his cheeks nearly blending in with the rosiness of the emotion flooding to the surface of his skin. "It'll be alright-"

"-But you'll be _stuck_ in _Hell!"_

"It's fine; I'll just wait around for Iyami."

Totoko paused. Maybe not...

No, yeah. Definitely.

She shook her head, trying to ignore the impending youkai. "Chibita, please, I could go back down and I could give you the demon decoration-" She stopped herself. The flame was out. She couldn't.

They really _were_ stuck. Chibita wasn't crossing. It wasn't possible.

Totoko glanced back down at him, covering her mouth again. Chibita gave her another gentle shove toward the mirror, her tail stinging his ankle when it accidentally whipped in his direction.

"Listen to me, Totoko," he began, "Obviously they're plannin' on crossin' _right now_ or else they wouldn't be chasin' after us. In my oden cart, in the bottom cabinet against the right wall, there's a spare key to my apartment. Give it to Iyami. He's seen me make oden thousands of times by now; he'll know what to do there, too." Another small shove on her back. "If anybody asks where I went, tell him to say I... my mom in Osaka got sick and I had to take care of her, or somethin'." Totoko turned to look at him, finding fat tears rolling down his cheeks, yet the dynamic smile he always wore remained. He looked pained but wouldn't allow it to crack the whole way through. Sheepishly, he wrung his hands, mumbling out, "Also, uh... tell Karaboy I love him, okay? We had a date planned that got put on hold 'cause of this whole thing..."

The Queen bent down and threw her arms around him, hugging him so tightly it was a wonder his eyes didn't pop out of his head. He returned the hug, resting his chin against her shoulder and letting warm tears hit her back. Chibita finally allowed himself to let out a single sob, but even then, the sound of a smile was heard in his voice.

"I guess, in the end, it _would_ be a little noticeable if that orphan boy Chibita disappeared, wouldn't it...?"

Totoko bawled, not wanting to let go of him. She didn't want to say goodbye. The youkai sounded dangerously close, though, Chibita worming out of her grip again.

"Totoko, go break the mirror." He gave her a not-so-reassuring smile. "I'll be fine."

The Queen was still sputtering into tears, but she stood, approaching the mirror. Sticking one half of her body through, she looked at him one last time, the cook's arms crossed over his chest with a hip and a knee popped, the familiar smirk across his face. His lips tasted of salt.

"Bye, Chibita-kun."

"Bye, Totoko-chan. Thank you for being such a good friend. You were always so nice."

The two childhood friends stared at each other for a final few seconds before the Queen finally slipped over to the other side, becoming nothing more than a blurry mass of shapes to the oden cook.

She had to hurry. Trying to remember what Osomatsu did, she outstretched her fingers as far as they would go and pressed them up against the cold glass. She noted that the sky was a lot less dark and the heat was a bit more bearable. Chibita stepped right up to the mirror, watching the figure that he pretty sure was her face. Totoko couldn't take it and closed her eyes. Just thinking about busting the glass was enough to make the energy deep in her muscles bubble to the surface, feeling the palms of her hands grow hot as they lit red.

 _Focus, Totoko, focus._ All those boring ass days of sitting around listening to Osomatsu chant those words to memorize them and gain the power to be able to put them into use really needed to come into use now. She was super thankful that she had done that, though, because if she hadn't, they wouldn't have gotten this far. Now they were just moments away from ending Armageddon for good.

Just thinking about it brought the energy up to her palms, thin, red wires shooting across the pane. _That_ was when she began to perceive the toll it took on Osomatsu; her innermost muscles spasmed wildly, the feeling was far from comfortable, but she locked her knees and shoved her palms even harder against the glass, pressing her forehead next to them. Breathing in, she struggled to remember the words Osomatsu had repeated so often.

 _Il compito mi esibisco si riduce il potere nel mio sangue e bolle in superficie dove si raccoglie._

As the words left her mouth, she realized it wasn't tongues at all like she had previously assumed it had been. She felt Chibita's eyes on her. She kept going.

 _Questo potere che possiedo è un privilegio che ho lavorato per e ora lo uso per il mio popolo._

She heard a crack. Opening her eyes slightly, she could see a fissure begin to work its way across the glass. It was bright red like her palms. That fissure turned to two and those turned to ten. The Queen squeezed her eyes shut, pain rippling through her body. Her claws dug into the mirror like Oso's had. This was terrible.

 _Stai mettendo questo attraverso un traduttore; o parli la lingua? Probabilmente dovrei tornare a scrivere il rituale ora._

The cracks grew larger and spread quicker, pieces of glass beginning to come loose. The metallic noise of the fracturing began and Totoko opened her eyes, searching for Chibita in front of her. He kept his hands on the glass, staring past her almost, unable to pinpoint where her eyes were through the blur. The Queen choked, feeling the last of the energy reach the surface.

 _Con le mani rompo questo specchio, permettendo i demoni dell'inferno ad attraversare la terra dei vivi e rivendicare come la nostra._

The crimson fire on her hands rocketed across the glass between every little crack there was, the final, largest fissure splitting across the pane.

 _Frantumarsi._

The damage was completely done, the mirror exploding into thousands of fragments. Totoko ripped her hands back and plucked the stray pieces out of her palm, clamping them over her ears to protect her from the noise. The grating sound echoed in the blueing sky, the Queen so weak that her legs threatened to collapse. Flicking her eyes across the plane where it used to be, her heart skipped a beat when she saw that some fragments hadn't fallen yet and bent down to peer through them.

On the other side was Chibita, staring right back at her. He was thrilled to see her, tears streaming down his face and his lip trembling, and gave her one last grin, waving at her like mad. Totoko felt her lids overflow and waved back with a saddened expression, the glass slipping off of the rock and shattering on the ground, the mirror completely broken.

Chibita was gone.

The Queen stared down at the mess of glass at her feet, not having let it sink in yet that all the memories she had made on the other side of that mirror were now left entirely behind, as well as one of her best friends who had gotten kicked around and stepped all over his whole life; now he was dead for a really selfless reason.

The wedding. The feeling of Osomatsu's hands on her face as he gave her wings and horns. Sitting in his lap in the throne room. Standing next to him during ceremonies in her kimono and listening to him preach to the inhabitants of Hell. Fighting with him and kissing in the boudoir. Seeing the immature fire in his eyes as he turned to her and demanded she go home.

All of that was left behind.

So was Chibita.

So many things were going to be different now.

There were six brothers. Chibita was dead. She was going to get to go home back to her parents and pretend none of this ever happened, trying to resume her life where it left off.

That wasn't going to happen.

Everything hitting her at once, Hell's old Queen let out a cry, collapsing to her knees, the glass shards stabbing through her old friend's sweatpants and slicing her skin. She laid her elbow flat against the mirror's shards and buried her face in the crook.

With that, she began to weep.

She wept for Chibita, who was stuck in an unfamiliar place with no possible way to ever leave, chased into a dead-end by youkai with an uncertain outcome. There was the very real possibility that he was being torn to shreds as she laid there and screamed into her flesh. He didn't deserve that. He was so goddamned selfless. He didn't have to stay behind. They could've just fought the demons until they were all dead. It would've taken more time, but he could've crossed. She'd just have to fuel the flame again. That would've been all it took.

She wept for Iyami, who was probably secretly worried sick after not having seen Chibita unannounced for over a week. She was going to have to explain every little thing to him, but who was to say he'd even understand it? He was all alone again. His only friend that he had watched grow up was dead. Once you know that, your mind gets all fogged and you can't really comprehend much else, let alone something as nonsensical sounding as angels and demons.

She wept for Karamatsu, who was going to have to hear the exact same thing. Totoko had no idea that he and Chibita had been together, but that just made her feel even worse.

She wept for the Matsunos, who were all probably witnessing their oldest brother wake up and see them for the first time, bawling as they all threw their arms around each other as a family who had seen so much grief and terror in the past fifteen years of their lives. Osomatsu's dream of quintuplets was probably dissolving right in front of his eyes as he planted kisses on each of his brothers' cheeks, soaking them with his tears. They could be happy again.

She wept for herself, screaming so loud that her voice was beginning to go and her throat raw, her face so wet from bawling that it stung in the winds at the peak of Mount Fuji. She missed her home. Her mom and dad were probably so upset to find that she had just disappeared out of nowhere. Was she counted as a missing person? Did they still think about her or did they move on and hope that she'd show up one day? How were they going to react when they saw her? Her heart ached so badly that it sent throes throughout her whole body on top of the pain from the power surge when breaking the mirror.

Lastly, she wept for mankind, who had no idea how close it had come to its demise, all because a ten-year-old boy was afraid of death and grew up to rule the scariest kingdom possible.

Totoko was weak. She was exhausted, she was grieving, and she was homesick.

Laying her face into the glass of Hell's mirror, the woman in pigtails sobbed the bearings of the past three years onto the shards, the uncertainty of what the future held frightening her. A single ray of light shone through her darkness.

It was all finally over.


	26. Nostalgic

Totoko had her arm under the pillow, face squished against it as she lazed around scrolling on her phone. Her eyes were heavy and tired, but she had no intention of sleeping, perfectly comfortable laying on top of her blankets in the middle of the day. She had ran errands for her parents earlier and had nothing left to do. It was nice to not have any responsibilities-or at least nowhere near as many as she did when she was Queen.

She stumbled upon a picture of one of her childhood friends with her kid in her lap; they had to be either seven or eight. She hummed, scrolling along without liking it. Men she met in bars weren't interested in her and any men she happened to already know had drifted away from her during her sudden three year absence. She cursed her age. Now that she was nearly thirty, nobody wanted her except for the guys that just wanted a one-time thing. Surprisingly, even to herself, Totoko wanted more than that.

She sighed, exiting out of the app and locking her phone, setting it on the pillow next to her. She was bored out of her mind. The looming thought of getting a job to preoccupy her time lingered in the back of her head, but shrugged it off; she was gonna inherit the fish market eventually which was going to be even _worse,_ so she might as well try to have fun while she could.

The only problem was that she had no friends to have it with.

Everyone had given her the cold shoulder when she desperately tried to feed them the lie about getting the sudden chance to travel abroad to perfect her idolism (which, she thought, sounded pretty convincing), disgusted with her for going without at least saying bye first. Petty as they were, they blocked her number and accounts and brushed her off if she ever tried to say hi in public; the people she followed or friended on social media hadn't done that, but she either hadn't spoken to them since graduation or wasn't great friends with them to begin with. The Matsunos were busy with the church and Chibita was totally out of the picture.

Totoko rolled onto her back, gazing at the ceiling. Well... there _was_ Iyami, she guessed. She saw him nearly every day; it may or may not have solely been because the guilt she carried on her back was so heavy it was a wonder how it didn't break her spine. He seemed like he was doing alright. She wasn't sure if she could call them friends, though. Not only was he twenty years older than her, but he wasn't exactly the person you asked to go bar crawling with you or invited to things. He was more of a person that you gave a ramen block to and hoped he knew how to use it because you felt bad because he was homeless for most of his life and had lived under a bridge and that you singlehandedly played a part in the disappearance/death of his only friend.

"Totoko?"

Her mother's voice broke her train of thought and she flinched at the sudden noise, turning her head towards her door.

"What's up, Mama?"

"Karamatsu is here."

Totoko sat up, pinching her eyebrows. She swung her legs off of the side of her bed and walked over to the door, opening it.

"Why?"

Totoko's mom shrugged, starting her way down the hall. "It's wonderful to see him again! I missed seeing their face." She hummed to herself, quietly adding, "I always thought the Matsuno boys had such cute faces. Their cheeks were always so chubby."

Totoko followed after her, piqued with curiosity and suspicion. Sure enough, standing by their front door was Mr. Painful himself, sunglasses on indoors-on a rainy day-in his priest's uniform nonetheless, hand on his hip and his typical sly smirk on his face. He lit up when he saw her, but seemed nervous, clapping his hands together.

"Ah! Dearest Totoko-chan; _ma copine,"_ His words were practically dripping with glitter as he stepped towards her, "What a delight it is to see you again!"

The two hugged, Totoko taking in the cologne he was doused in. He smelled sweet like musk. The woman let go of him, stepping back to look up at his face.

"What's up, Kara?"

"Ah, not much, darling Totoko," Kara began, toying with his fringe in a way that he probably thought was smooth, but really just made him look like a dork, "I was in the area to run errands for my little brothers and figured I would stop by to say hello." Totoko squinted at him for a second before tilting her head toward the stairs.

"Wanna come in my room? I don't think you've seen it yet because you all just up and left without telling me."

"Totoko!" Her mom interjected, hands on her hips disappointedly. Karamatsu just let out a laugh and gave a wave of his hand, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Non, non, she's right, Mrs. Yowai. We shouldn't have done that. We were just so distraught over the death of our precious Choromatsu that it completely slipped our minds..."

Totoko's mom clicked her tongue in pity, wringing her hands. Her voice got soft. "How are you all doing?"

"Oh, we're just fine, madam. Karamatsu's been preaching his heart out, Totty runs the choir, and Ichimatsu's the abbess, Jyu-" Kara saved himself, then realized what he had said before that, and broke into a cold sweat. Totoko's mom just seemed confused, giving him a sympathetic smile and a chuckle, but Totoko herself gave him a look. Kara grabbed at the collar of his uniform, gnawing at the inside of his cheek. "O-Oh. Hoo, man," he put his hands on his knees and bent forward in apology. "S-Sorry," he blurted in a panic. Mrs. Yowai just laughed and Totoko tapped the top of his head.

"Come on," she already started up the stairs before waiting for him to stand straight, hearing him rush up a couple of steps to follow after her. She lead him in her bedroom, closing the door behind them. Karamatsu stood awkwardly by the lightswitch, watching Totoko quietly. The girl cast a glance to him before moving over, gingerly reaching by his ears to grab his sunglasses. A slow, anxious smile spread across his face.

Gently pulling them off of his head, she was met by a single brown eye, the empty right socket stuffed with cotton directly below the missing section of his eyebrow.

Totoko's face fell, yet somehow suspected it the entire time, and stuck Kara's glasses in the neck of the priest jacket. She crossed her arms up at him.

"What do you want?" Totoko's voice was small.

"Listen, Totoko, I understand this is kind of unexpected," Osomatsu began, the woman rolling her eyes and shaking her head, going back to sit on her bed. The man followed after her, standing by the bedpost. He was desperate. "But, I was thinking- about what you said-"

"-Osomatsu, please just leave me alone about it; I don't know why it's so hard to understand that I don't love you," Totoko interrupted, swinging one leg over the other and averting her eyes. Oso hesitated, visibly hurt.

"That's... that's not what I'm here for..." he mumbled, replaying that one night in his mind's eye as he played with his fingers. Totoko felt like an ass. She felt like an ass a lot lately, she noticed.

"Oh." She shrunk a little into her favorite pink sweater, thankful for the turtleneck at the moment.

Oso moved closer, picking at his thumb nervously, just like he had in that royal portrait. It was almost endearing to see a quirk remain over the years.

"When I was on the floor and you were in front of me, you said somethin'... about our friendship." Oso slipped next to her on the bed, surprised to see that she either was too busy looking away to notice or genuinely hadn't. He rested his hands on his knees, the fabric on his brother's pants worn there from so much kneeling and praying.

"You said you wish you didn't cross over with me because you didn't think we could ever be friends again." Oso sounded hurt, fighting off the heat that gathered in the corners of his eyes. He might've been missing one, but the ducts definitely still worked fine. Totoko stiffened, putting her head down. The man hesitated.

"I... Totoko..." he wasn't sure of what to say, running a thumb along his chin as he turned red, searching for the words, "...I know that it's asking a lot of you, which I know I've done so much already, but is there any way... you could m-maybe forgive me...?"

Totoko didn't respond, turning her head entirely away from him. Her shoulders hunched up and her arms were tighter against her chest, her leg clamping down harder on top the other. Osomatsu's heart fell, face growing even softer than it already was, clasping his hands together.

"Totoko, please..." The oldest sextuplet pleaded, running a hand through his hair, "I miss our friendship. You were my best friend. This whole entire thing was a mistake. Oh, God, I regret it so much..." He rubbed his face stressfully. "I'm such an idiot. I didn't think and I messed things up so bad and lost you; I ruined everything."

Totoko brought a hand up to her head and wiped a finger under her eye, sniffling once and shaking her head a little to get her bangs out of her face. Oso put his elbow in his hand and held his forehead, his voice wavering.

"Totoko-chan, please say something. This isn't easy for me either, you know..."

The woman turned back, her cheeks rosy and her lips puffed quietly in a pout. She didn't know what to think. She could still hear their childish laughter from way back when in her mind, grabbing at each other's hands and dancing wherever they damn pleased, pretending not to notice when the one would stare at the other in the middle of class. She could just walk into their house whenever she wanted and usually just came in during dinner and sat down next to him; they would act like it was nothing and would let her get a plate and everything. She had grown so close to the Matsuno boys, but out of all of them, she and Osomatsu were the closest.

She finally was able to get herself to look at him, rubbing her eye where the tears threatened to spill. Totoko felt somewhat better when she saw he was on the brink of crying himself.

"Osomatsu-kun, can I show you something?"

"Of course." His throat was low and gentle.

She led him over to her vanity-the same one he had pulled her through some four years ago-and pulled open the bottom drawer. The man leaned over her shoulder to peer inside, finding a dozen of old photographs with the ruby wedding ring resting on top. (He still shamelessly wore his just like he had promised he would.) He snorted, amused, and ran a finger under his nose.

"What is this? Is this your Osomatsu drawer?" He jested, nudging her softly in the arm. Totoko glared at him out of the corner of her eye, but half of it wasn't real.

"Don't ruin the moment, you jackass," A tiny laugh managed to escape between her lips. The woman pulled her pigtail away from her jaw and withdrew a couple of the pictures, holding them out to him. "Look at how cute we were."

The two were standing together outside someplace late at night wearing matching ballet uniforms, tutus shoved up against each other as they threw their arms behind the other's head to teasingly give them bunny ears, a sparkly tiara on top of Osomatsu's. In another, the backs of their heads were visible as someone had apparently took a picture of them sitting on Totoko's back porch, eating noodles and letting their legs dangle, unaware of the camera. The next showed Oso wearing the strap of his school bag across his forehead, supporting the weight on his neck, making a playful face at the camera while the pretty girl next to him laughed with a hand to her mouth. Totoko and Osomatsu the only ones looking at the camera in Halloween costumes while the rest of the brothers chattered in the background. Totoko and Osomatsu sitting with a super tiny Chibita in the pipeyard. Totoko and Osomatsu posing with their arms around each other in fancy outfits at some event. Totoko and Osomatsu arm in arm, Oso shooting a finger gun and a smirk at the camera, as he was beginning to escort her home after a particularly late night of hanging out at his house. Blurry figures of jealous, arguing sextuplets were visible in the corner of the picture that was beginning to lose its color to the fade of time.

Oso examined them like they were precious artifacts, afraid to touch them in the fear that they would turn to dust. They were so old; half of them he didn't remember being taken. But he was glad they existed. It was weird to acknowledge that he had lived like that at one point and wasn't raised from a baby by demons. In the same exact life he was living right then, with his missing eye and scars between his shoulderblades where his wings used to be, he had experienced what he was experiencing in those pictures.

A single, fat tear rolled down his cheek. He wished he could've lived like that the entire time.

Totoko's lip quivered and she set them down on the top of the desk, grinding her palm into her eye. "I found these a couple of months ago. They were in an old album and I took them out because I can't tell you how often I cry-..." She had to stop for a minute to catch her breath and regather herself a little, "I cry because I miss the way things used to be, and I miss you, the old you, and hate that you were taken from everyone like that, a-and-"

Osomatsu grabbed her suddenly, pulling her into his arms, resting his chin on her shoulder and his hand on her back, feeling her start to rack with silent sobs. He rested his cheek against hers to comfort her, able to smell her perfume that he couldn't before, letting the tears spill down his face that were already resting in his eyelids in wait. The two friends held each other for a while, weeping in memory of how things used to be and grateful that even for just a moment, they had each other to lean on; there was something strange about being able to fully reveal yourself to someone you were close to and they were thankful for it.

Totoko leant away, wiping at her face that was now raw with salt, looking Osomatsu in the eye. He ran his fingers under his own, the two letting out awkward chuckles.

"You good?" He asked her, his kind, gentle smile that she had always loved making a reappearance. He tried to mask his sadness.

"Yeah," Totoko nodded, "Are you?"

"Yeah, I think so." The man completely let go of her, his palm tingling where her back had been moments before. He dragged the backs of his hands over the wet spots on his face and wiped them on Kara's pants.

"I'm sorry," Totoko quavered, "I didn't think I was gonna-"

"-Don't apologize." Osomatsu fixed his hair, smoothing it in the back where Totoko had rested her hand. "I'm, uh, kinda glad to have let all that out."

"Me too."

The two stood in silence, turning back to glance at the pictures on the vanity. They were so innocent and pure. Hard to believe that their lives would be completely ruined not too long after they were all taken.

"Osomatsu-kun, I forgive you." Totoko wrung her hands in front of her, Oso's shoulders immediately falling from the tense position she hadn't even realized they were in the entire time, the man appearing as if he would cry again. "You didn't know what you were doing and neither did I; we were both stupid; it was both our faults..."

"Totoko-chan, thank you so much," Oso put a hand behind his head and the other on his hip, sheepish with his skin flushed, "I've been so scared to come to you and ask. I was terrified you'd turn me right away. I've had this guilt looming over me ever since you left the church after busting the mirror that I never even fucking apologized or asked for your forgiveness." He put his hand on his forehead, biting down on his teeth. "I can't believe I was such an idiot-"

"-Stop blaming yourself, would you?" Totoko reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulling it to his side. "We're friends. You're my best friend. It's all said and done. I'm not the Queen and you're not the King and we don't have to worry about it anymore." She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his neck and feeling him tense, then immediately loosen, from the surprise of her sudden embrace. His arms wound around her back. "Don't sweat it, Oso."

They waited a second before letting each other go again, their hands falling a little slower, staring each other in the face. Totoko inspected the familiar expression that she had grown used to all those years. He was missing part of his eyebrow and an entire eye, sure, but the structure was entirely the same otherwise. His fringe was cut in a perfect line just above his eyes, his nose endearingly large, and lips pulled into the familiar grin that the Matsus wore, genuine and caring instead of the condescending smirk he had as Satan.

A wave of relief washed over her. He was finally normal again.

"I should, ah..." Oso reached for the sunglasses on his shirt, "Probably head back now. I promised Jyushi I would be back in time to play baseball with everyone. Last time we played baseball Ichi got blasted in the fucking face because Jyushi's four arms definitely adds power to a swing."

Totoko laughed, replacing the pictures in their drawer and shutting it with her hip. "Yeah, sounds like it. The only reason you came was to apologize to me?"

"Yeah. I figured you were busy and all; I didn't want to waste your time for too long."

The woman snorted, leading Oso over to her door. "Are you kidding me? I laze around and do absolutely nothing all day. Trust me, you weren't interrupting anything important."

"Is that how every day is for you?"

"Unfortunately."

"Then stop by the church; what the hell!" Osomatsu put the sunglasses back on, making sure they covered his eyebrow completely. "We're bored too, you know! Everyone wanted me to tell you to stop by more often since you don't even do that now. Kara said that 'your shitty NEETs miss you', whatever that means."

Totoko sighed with her hands on her hips, giving Oso a shrug. "You weren't around when that was their nickname."

"Ohhhhh. That explains it."

The woman opened her bedroom door and Osomatsu was no longer Osomatsu, feigning painfulness and Karamatsu's vocabulary. Totoko led him to the front door, twirling her finger in one of her pigtails. Oso smiled, remembering how often she had did that back in Hell.

"Ah, Mrs. Yowai!" Kara called out into the kitchen, "It was a pleasure to see you again."

"Oh!" Totoko's mom yelled out, startled by his voice, but dropped what she was doing to rush to the foyer. "Karamatsu, it really was! You've grown up into such a nice young man." She hugged him, seizing his shoulders afterwards and smiling up at the guilt guy, who tilted his head downwards carefully so she couldn't see up under the glasses. "Tell your brothers I said hello, will you?"

"Absolutely, _madame."_

Karamatsu turned to look at Totoko, who had her arms crossed over her chest and a knee popped, smiling tiredly at him. He held out a hand towards her, placing the other on his torso.

"Stop by more often, would you please, dearest Totoko-chan? It gets wearisome just seeing the same face all the time."

Totoko shrugged with a nod. "Sure. I miss how good of friends we all were. We'll have to try and fix that connection."

He froze for an instant, realizing that it wasn't actually Kara that she was speaking to, but rather himself, and blew out a sigh, losing his guise.

"For sure."

The two hugged for the third time, this one lasting a bit longer, the photographs still visible behind their eyelids as they yearned for the past; yet somehow, both knew that in due time, the past wouldn't matter and things would just as warm and comforting and normal again.

When they let go, 'Kara' looked down at the woman, Totoko able to see through the glasses and meet the sweet brown eye she remembered so well. God, she had missed him so badly.

Flustered, she turned him around, placing her hands on his back and giving him a gentle push towards the door. The priest stumbled by her sudden prodding and grabbed the doorknob, twisting his head around.

"It was wonderful to see you again, _ma amour-"_

"-It was. Bye Karamatsu."

"We'll all be super disappointed if you don't stop much, Totoko-"

"-Don't worry, I will."

Totoko lightly nudged against him with her foot and got him out the door, but he whirled right back around and stuck his fingers in through the opening, trying to pry it back open.

"Promise?"

She started to laugh, grabbing Osomatsu's forehead and tried to force him further, but she was weakened with amusement as he grasped her wrist, sliding her hand into his. She hurriedly pulled it away and Oso stepped back. Totoko kept the door cracked anyway.

"Promise."

"Okay." Osomatsu gave her one last grin, rubbing his index under his nose. "Bye, Totoko-chan. Thanks for forgivin' me."

"See ya, Osomatsu-kun." She closed the door even further and playfully pressed her eye up against the tiny gap. "I'll stop by tomorrow."

Oso lit up and clenched his fists tightly with excitement, nodding so quickly Kara's glasses almost slipped and fell off his face. He rushed to fix them, Totoko letting out a laugh.

"Sounds like a plan." was all the man said, cheeks red and the blue religious stole around his shoulders blowing messily in the wind. He gave her a small wave, and with that, Totoko shut the door completely, standing on the welcome mat for a good minute afterwards. Her heart had melted in her chest and was dripping all over her ribs.

But she couldn't let herself get caught off guard.

They were friends again. Just friends. _Don't let yourself slip, Totoko._

Totoko climbed the stairs again, plopping herself back onto her bed and grabbing her phone, picking up where she had left off.

This time around, though, anytime she came across a picture of an old acquaintance smiling with friends or family, she felt nowhere near as bitter.

...

Finally switching the light off, Totoko rubbed her eye, shuffling over to her bed. She did literally nothing else the rest of the night, messing around on her phone until she had gotten so exhausted that she could hardly stay awake. She grabbed her sleeping mask and pulled it onto her face, adjusting it to where she needed to be.

The woman crawled under the covers, shifting around until she was comfortable, resting her head against her pillow.

But something shot down her spine when she remembered.

She had never done this before for reasons she didn't know, but she might as well try. Slipping out from under the blankets and lifting the mask to rest on her forehead, Totoko knelt by her bedside and folded her hands. She sighed in preparation, resting her forehead against them and leaning against the mattress.

How did you even _start_ a prayer, anyway...?...

 _Hey Choromatsu, what's up?_

 _It's me, Totoko, if you didn't know. I saw your brother today, but I'm sure you already knew that. It went pretty good. I told him I'd forgive him for nearly killing us all and using me to get into a powerful position and we cried for like, an hour after looking at old pictures. I'm not sure if forgiving him was an entirely good idea, because y'know, most people would think that watching their friend-no matter how old of a friend they were-almost destroy fucking everything, they probably wouldn't be so easy to excuse. But I think I'm kinda justified. I missed how he used to be before that entire ordeal and I don't really think he understood the magnitude of what he was doing because he forgot that he wasn't actually a demon and was still kinda childish at heart 'cause of it. And because he died when he was 10 and never got to grow up the right way._

 _I guess I'm praying to you right now because..._ She clicked her tongue. _I dunno. I felt like it._

 _I was afraid to come around after breaking the mirror because I was scared you'd all hate me for pretty much sealing away Chibita-especially Karamatsu; holy shit, I had no idea? Not only that, but it would be awkward with Osomatsu around after our last encounter had been a mixture of a screaming match and a standoff, depending on if you'd wanna call our last encounter the one we had in the mirror or on the mountain. Either way, it's been over a year. I was a coward. I'm sorry._

 _I'm... kinda glad you guys miss me too, because I'm bored as fuck over here. There's nothing to do and I have no friends and I want to cry. I've been meaning to come around, but like I said. I'm gonna stop by tomorrow. We all can hang out by the lake so you can visit too._

 _Hey, you, uh... can 'approve' prayers, can't you? Isn't that what you said you do?_

 _If you can, I have a couple of things I wanna ask._

 _Mama and Papa's business hasn't been very good lately. They're stressed and upset because they think if this keeps up, I won't have an inheritance and they feel terrible because they've promised me this my entire life. Not that, uh... I mind all that much-a fish market is boring as shit, who am I to lie-but could you maybe help them out and make them less worried about it? And help them figure out a way to get more customers?_

 _Also, can you help Iyami out, too? I've seen him pretty much every day because he's lonely without Chibita around. His oden is nowhere near as good, but he's getting there. He's also not homeless for the first time in what, almost 30 years? So that's good too. Could you maybe help him figure out what he's doing wrong so he doesn't get discouraged and waste like, three batches trying like he always does? He'll do it even if I tell him there's nothing wrong with it. Chibita was just that great that he's hard to match, I guess._

 _And... I mean, if I haven't asked enough of you already, I want to find love. Nobody's interested in me because we're all almost thirty. Everyone wants someone young-twenty-seven isn't young enough, I guess?! Once you hit twenty-five is when people start losing interest in you unless you're just looking for a one night stand. I don't want to be single the rest of my life. I mean, yeah, technically I'm still married to your brother, but you can't really call it a marriage. We haven't seen each other in forever and it was kinda awkward today. Besides, the time we_ were _around each other in Hell, it was just really tense and overall pretty bad. He seems like he's normal though, so that's good._

 _...I mean... if you_ really _can't find anyone else for me...and I mean, like, you've sought_ everywhere _and every man is scum and trash and not good looking and not at least 5'7" and doesn't have literally the nicest smile ever or the cutest cheekbones you've ever seen, then I_ guess _you can send him my way... but ONLY if you can't find anyone else! He's last resort! ...Uh, don't tell him that I said that, though, okay? Not the last resort part-but probably not that either-I'm talking about the first part. He might get all up in his head like he used to and I might have to pop him one in the teeth._

 _I hope we all can be good friends like we used to be. I miss that. So much goddamned shit has gone down in the past seventeen years. We were all just little kids. We didn't need some huge ordeal to set into motion. But I'm glad you're all together again. I hope you're all doing good and are happy and are a family again, even without your Mama or Papa._

 _Sorry if this seems like a lot. I guess I'm getting a lot of stuff off of my back. I hope you're able to do as much for me as you can. Thanks, Churro. You're the best. Thanks for always coming to my concerts and cheering me on when I was an idol; it's okay, I know I was terrible. I missed seeing you in the crowds once you got sick. Everything was a lot duller without your smile and your glasses to glint off of._

 _I need to get to bed now. I'll wake up tomorrow and head straight to the church. I'll probably interrupt morning mass if I walk in through the nave, though, so maybe I'll come to your lake and see you first. ...You haven't read a manga in a while, have you? Would it be a sin to still read smutty stuff, since you're kinda like God and all? I remember you used to dig that shit. I just read a particularly terrible one that I think you would find funny that I'll bring with me. Wait till you see the yaoi hands and the pointy ass chins. They're_ bad, _dude._

 _Anyway, I'll see you all tomorrow, okay? I can't wait to hang out again. Akatsuka Ward's sextuplets always were fun to be around. Thanks for letting me ramble to you. Get back to answering your other prayers, Megami-sama. Make Mama Matsuno proud up in heaven._

 _Love, your sister-in-law-kinda-but-not-really,_

 _Totoko-chan._

Totoko opened her eyes, dizzy from keeping them closed with her head ducked for so long, and stood up, moving back onto her bed. She pulled her mask back over her eyes and laid down again. She found it a little easier to get comfortable and felt less of a weight against her chest that she hadn't even known was there. Seeing her best friends again was all that was on her mind.

The uncertainty that the future held no longer seemed dubious but rather exciting to Totoko. Her heart fluttered in her chest, feeling weightless and truly young for the first time in a long time.

No light breaking through her mask and no tapping noise stirring her from her bed, the lovestruck girl fell asleep almost immediately.


End file.
